In the Name of the King
by Card1na15
Summary: This story has no relation to the movie of the same title other than both being medieval-type stories. This is definitely AU all the way.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Announcement

Manfred was riding a horse hard and leading another one behind him. As the senior servant assigned to Crown Prince Kal of the House of El, Manfred was unaccustomed to playing the role of messenger unless his charge had seriously irritated his parents, King Jor and Queen Lara. That was not the case today, not that he knew anyway, but if the scuttlebutt among the servants was right, Prince Kal might _wish_ he was being punished after today's audience.

As Manfred drew near the waryard, he could hear the clang of sword on sword or the thunk made when metal sword glanced off wooden shield, and there in the middle of it all, under the watchful eye of the kingdom's most honored knight, Sir Emmerich Bauer, was the prince himself. He was just short of his nineteenth birthday, well over six feet in height, with long black hair that was currently held back in a warrior's triple braid and sea green eyes that made women swoon.

Kal's face glistened with sweat as he worked out under the watchful eye of the royal arms master. Everyone thought crusty old Sir Emmerich was a tough, uncompromising bastard, but no one believed that more fervently than Kal. He was the crown prince of the kingdom, and yet Bauer worked him harder than anyone else. Over and over they went, day after day, working on technique until Kal had every move down pat…and then working some more.

Once his two hours in martial training were over, Kal removed a green and silver amulet from around his neck and handed it to his manservant, who immediately placed it in a box until it was needed again.

"What am I late for _this_ time, Manfred?" Kal asked disinterestedly, as he took off his leather gauntlets and handed them over also. "Language lessons? Economics classes? _Dancing instruction?"_

Off all the things a prince needed to know, Kal considered dancing to be the most useless. To his way of thinking, dancing was just another chance for his parents to put their prize calf on display, not to mention a chance for every newly marriageable daughter of the most powerful nobles in the land to step all over his feet and giggle at him.

Just then, the cloud cover broke and Kal felt the sun blazing down on him in all its glory, filling him with power. He quickly stripped off his chainmail shirt and padded leather undershirt to bask in the light before it disappeared behind the next bank of clouds.

Manfred watched as the cuts and abrasions Prince Kal had picked up in sword training just disappeared. He'd seen it hundreds of times during his service to the House of El, but it never ceased to amaze him. Once the sun disappeared again, Kal rinsed the sweat from his body, accepted the crisp, clean shirt Manfred held out for him and pulled the shirt on.

"No, your highness. No instruction today," Manfred said, just before he headed to the many equipment racks to drape the armor for the squires and pages to collect later. Kal followed the man and deposited his half helm and camail on a post to keep them out of the dirt.

Kal's eyes narrowed and he came to a full stop so he could take a good look at his servant. The man was a veteran of twenty years service and yet he was nervous, almost to the point of shaking like a leaf. "If I'm not late for another tutoring session, then why are you here? You never get sent just to carry my things; that's a job for lesser servants."

"I am here to convey a royal summons, your highness."

"In the middle of the afternoon? Most unusual." Needing to know where to go, Kal asked, "From which one, my mother or my father?"

"_Both,_ your highness."

_Oh crap! They must have found out about the necklace. Harry was supposed to keep that a secret until he got home. Damn him! _Pretending he hadn't a care in the world, Kal smiled, mounted his horse, and asked where he was to go.

"The throne room, your highness." _That_ bit of news stopped Kal in his tracks. _Shit! Shit! Double shit! This isn't about an emerald and pearl necklace, not in the throne room it's not._

"When?" Kal breathed.

Without a timepiece anywhere nearby, Manfred still knew the answer. "Five minutes ago, your Highness."

Kal spurred his horse and raced toward the distant palace, first over dusty, crushed gravel paths, and then over cypress-lined, cobblestone-paved lanes. Normally a lover of the varied sights the miles of open parkland that surrounded the summer palace could bring, Kal only had eyes for the road as he raced at a breakneck pace in a bid to keep his parents, the king and queen, from waiting any longer than they already had.

Though Kal, and others of his race, could run much faster than any horse could, even while carrying a horse over their individual shoulders, he chose to ride a horse to blend in with the people, who didn't always like being reminded the upper nobility _were_ different from them.

By the time the gleaming white marble edifice of the long and low palace came into Kal's view, Manfred was quite far behind him since his horse was smaller and slower and because he was a weaker rider than Kal was…and because he had no wish to accidentally end up being called into the throne room. There were some things even the servants didn't want to know.

Kal reined in his horse at a side portico and handed the reins over to a liveried servant as he raced into the palace, through the conservatory, and into the adjoining music library, where he pressed his ring to a notch on the wall. The ring, in turn, opened a hidden door into the palace's network of narrow, dimly-lit secret passages.

Once hidden from view, Kal turned on his speed and was in the residential wing of the palace in seconds. Apparently, word of his need had already arrived, since a bevy of servants were ready and waiting. When Kal stepped into his suite of rooms, he was whisked into his bedroom and undressed before being made to stand in a large tub of water to be scrubbed clean by a pair of servants with horsehair brushes and soap.

At the same time, his hair was undone and thoroughly brushed out before the royal hairdresser rebraided the entire style, starting with one on the top of the head right at the back which dropped straight down Kal's head to the nape of his neck. There it was joined by a braid from both sides, each of which started right behind the ear and conformed to the curve of the skull on the way to the meeting point at the nape, from which the three smaller braids were woven together into one thick braid that went down Kal's back to a point below his shoulder blades.

When the hairdresser was done, Kal stepped out of the portable copper tub and waited as more servants dried him off, before yet another set of servants set about dressing him. He managed, only just, to pull on his own underwear, but he stepped into white silk hose that ran up to his knees, and close-fitting black breeches which ran down just over the tops of the hose before being tied tight behind the knee.

Meanwhile, a clean undershirt was pulled on him followed by a crisply starched white shirt which Kal buttoned up himself as he stamped his feet into glossy black knee-high leather riding boots that had never come _close_ to an actual horse, but did have the saving grace of covering his hose and the bottom edge of his breeches.

Lastly, the servants pulled on a brilliant white military uniform coat that had golden shoulder boards bearing white enameled pins of rank, and a short, stiff collar with more golden cloth and smaller versions of the rank pins on his shoulder boards. The coat was double-breasted, and the two rows of golden buttons stood out against the white of the coat. The last thing on was a golden sword belt which circled his waist and had two descending straps for holding a sword in place at his side. As _no one_ wore a sword in the royal presence, those two straps were removed, and he was sent on his way.

Kal contented himself with walking to the distant throne room to give himself time to collect his thoughts before this official audience. He had to be careful now. Inside the throne room, those two people were the King and Queen of Alemannia first, and his parents second.

What really had him worried was that they hadn't discussed anything with him beforehand. That usually meant either he was in deep trouble and was being punished publicly, or else they had made up their minds about something and were sure he wasn't going to like it. Telling him about it when court was in session rather limited his opportunity to argue until well after their course of action had been announced and made official.

The sound of his boots as they struck the black-veined white marble floors would have been enough to tell Kal that the spacious halls were nearly empty as he made his way across the palace. _Figures, either everyone is in the throne room to see what happens, or else Mother and Father have ordered the palace emptied so no one will learn what happens. _Minutes later he stood in front of the giant gold-sheathed doors and waited to be introduced.

The seneschal gestured, and a liveried doorman pulled the door open. The seneschal then stepped through and said in a booming voice, "Your Majesties, announcing the Crown Prince of Alemannia and Duke of Borussia, Kal of the House of El."

Kal looked down at his golden house ring that proclaimed him a member of the royal family, and his green and gold ring that tied him to his position as the Duke of Borussia, before taking a deep breath and striding into the vast throne room, which was completely empty except for the two people sitting on the dais. The king's throne was larger than the queen's because of his size, and it was a couple of inches in front of the queen's because this was a kingdom, not a queendom.

Kal knew such distinctions meant little to his parents, as his mother had been his father's closest confidant and advisor since the earliest moments of their marriage. He didn't have any idea if they were in love or not, but that had _nothing_ to do with royal marriages anyway, a point that had been hammered into his head for years.

When Kal got close to the dais and saw that even his younger sister Mara wasn't present, he began to be intrigued. This had essentially become a private meeting, one that could have easily taken place in the royal apartments, but having it here made it an _official_ meeting and, as he'd noted earlier, it kept him from arguing. Reaching the proper place, Kal knelt on one knee and kept his face on that of the king, waiting for the signal to rise.

King Jor signaled wordlessly for him to rise. Kal did so effortlessly and waited. Patience had never been his strong suit, so Jor had cultivated it over the years, making his son wait when his inclination had been to go now, to _know_ now. When Kal waited for a couple of minutes with no show of impatience, Jor nodded to himself and spoke.

"You have, no doubt, noticed the extraordinary precautions we have taken to assure our privacy this afternoon. Not only have we virtually emptied the palace, but the queen has encased the throne room in a dome of silence, so that if anyone _were_ here, they still couldn't hear us."

Kal shifted his yellow sun energy from his body to his mind, and reached out with his magical senses to find that his mother had indeed shielded the throne room from eavesdroppers. She had also barred the doors and drawn a physical barrier around the three of them. Kal's eyes shifted to those of his mother for the first time, as he tilted his head, raised his eyebrows, and his mouth dropped open. All she did by way of acknowledging his unspoken question, _how serious is this? _was to nod her head almost imperceptibly, before he returned his gaze to his father.

"I'll be direct with you, Kal," Jor said. "These precautions have been taken because we have reason to believe a military coup attempt is imminent."

Kal was filled with outrage. "Who would _dare?!"_

"Sources within the General Staff indicate that General Dru-Zod is the likely mastermind."

Kal thought back over his years of training. He knew Dru-Zod was the commander of the King's Legion, the elite forces of the Alemannian army. If Dru-Zod could command their loyalty, he might be able to pull it off. The soldiers wouldn't even have to know they were part of a revolt. They could just be told the king's life was in danger and then be assigned to take or hold a particular area, with only a few key officers actually in on the plan. By the time the rank and file realized what had happened, Dru-Zod would already be installed as the next king.

"How do you plan on countering Dru-Zod?" Kal asked.

"Carefully. We need to isolate him from any possible support among the nobles, especially the Council of Dukes. If they were to ratify his coronation, the game would be up, barring another army coup of course. And while you're on the Council of Dukes, you're not old enough to vote there yet. In any case, he'd kill you long before the dukes would ever get a chance to vote.

"So…we need to keep you safe so that even if he somehow gets us, he'll know he still has a claimant from the House of El to deal with before he can have himself crowned."

"Quite frankly, my prince, my _son,"_ Lara said, speaking up for the first time, "it's time for you to vanish."

Knowing there had to be more to it than that, Kal just raised an eyebrow and waited.

"We'll start rumors of sending you in many different directions, and even send out a company of the household chivalry to escort you to your ducal palace in Borussia…"

"Except you won't be in the midst of that escort," Jor continued, "you'll already be long gone."

Kal was beginning to get a bad feeling about this, as if it was a half-assed plan that would end up making _him_ suffer.

"And why is that, Sire?" Kal asked formally.

The king and queen glanced at each other. Kal being formal with them like that meant he was suspicious and had his guard up. That, in turn, meant being direct was their best course of action.

"Because you're leaving the palace tomorrow morning, and you won't be allowed to come back until we send for you," Jor said. "You'll leave the palace from an out-of-the-way sideyard, appearing to be just another squire trailing along behind his knight."

"That knight," Lara said, "will be charged with protecting your life, even at the cost of his own. Along with that, he will be responsible for completing your weapons training." _And, hopefully, he'll help you grow into the man this kingdom needs while he's at it._

"What about my training in magic?" Kal asked. He was looking directly at his mother for this question, as she had been, until now anyway, his instructor in the magical arts.

"Your training is complete, Kal, and has been for some time." For the first time in this meeting, he saw an expression from his mother that actually looked like the woman he loved and respected. It was pride, pride in her son, and pride in a job well done. "You learned quickly, and most importantly have learned the value of caution. _Most_ young mages think they can do anything once they've learned to convert their stored solar energy into usable magical energy."

"Well…it _is_ an insanely difficult process to learn," Kal allowed, "and mastering it is even harder, so you'd have to see where those young mages are coming from."

"True, but in this one area, you have shown maturity and restraint. In other areas, you have been…less successful."

Kal nodded his head in rueful agreement, privately wondering which of many events she might be referring to this time. "Who is the knight I'll be squiring for?" Kal had known from the moment his father had mentioned him being a squire that this was considered to be an essential part of his disguise, and was probably the reason his parents were having this discussion in court.

The king looked at his son with some trepidation, and when Kal saw Jor nervously lick his lips, he suddenly realized who he had been assigned to. This was the _real_ reason the meeting was here: they weren't worried about him accepting the role of a squire, as onerous as that may be, they were worried about him arguing about being assigned to…

"Sir Bruce Wayne," the king said quickly.

The queen leaned in then to add, completely unnecessarily, "Better known as the Dark Knight."

Completely forgetting he was in court, Kal swore. "Ho-ly _shit!"_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Taking Leave

Kal-El heard a set of steps marching rapidly toward him from the gloom at the side of the throne room. A glance gave him a quick impression of a figure wearing what appeared to be all black armor of some oriental type just before that figure prostrated itself on the floor right next to Kal-El himself.

"You may rise, Sir Bruce, and take possession of your charge," King Jor-El said grimly.

Bruce rose with as little effort as he had fallen, and wasted no time in delivering a crushing blow to Kal's ear which stunned him, and sent him sprawling on the ground.

Bruce faced the throne then and knelt, bowing his head as he said, "Your Majesties? Please accept my humblest apologies for my squire's foul mouth. Swearing in front of a lady is bad enough, but swearing in front of your personages pains me greatly as he is my charge; my only plea is he has just entered that state and has not yet begun to be instructed in that which as a boy of eighteen he should already know."

Kal was rubbing his chin and struggling to his feet as the king replied, "Rise once again, Sir Bruce. The fault is not yours, but instead belongs wholly to myself and a long line of permissive governesses. Women, it appears, have small chance to resist my son, which you may find to be a continuing trial on your journey together.

"Correct your squire's errors however you see fit, Sir Bruce." _For he has much to learn…and to unlearn._

Kal wobbled back to his former position, only to be thrown effortlessly to the ground by Sir Bruce in some foreign fashion Kal had never seen before. _How is he doing this to me? A punch from him shouldn't hurt me…I should barely even feel it…but I'm still seeing stars._

Bruce leaned on Kal's shoulders, holding him face first on the ground. Still not quite sure which way was up, Kal didn't even bother struggling.

"Lesson number one, Squire…" Sir Bruce suddenly realized he couldn't use the name Kal once they left the palace, for the prince's own safety. "Your Majesties, this squire requires a new name, one I will use and he will answer to, for the length of his time in my service. Is there any name you wish to bestow?"

"None," King Jor said.

"In fact," Queen Lara added, "it's better for his safety that we not know."

"Agreed," the king replied. "Should we be taken, the less we know about Kal's current condition, the better."

"That being the case," Sir Bruce said, "I have a name that will suit my charge just fine." Sir Bruce returned his attention to Kal, who was staying still and hoping the room would quit moving sometime soon. "As I was saying, lesson number one: from now until you earn your knighthood or until the king relieves me of my duty, you are no longer a prince, but my squire.

"Those people on the thrones over there are still the king and queen, however, and your action toward them just now was reprehensible. And as you are_ my_ squire, your action reflected poorly on me."

Still confused by the first blow he'd taken, Kal asked, "Which acti…"

Bruce pounded Kal on the back of his head, driving it into the floor, which bloodied his mouth, and nearly broke his jaw. "Speak when required to, _Squire._ And for your edification, swearing in front of a lady, much less doing it in front of the king and queen, is _the_ action to which I was referring."

Kal's head had finally cleared and, having been properly enraged by that last blow, he called on his super-strength to throw Bruce off of him, but found his strength wasn't there. Only one substance could do that without crippling him with pain, and precious few people had access to it.

"Figured out yet why your abilities don't work, _Squire?"_

"Yes, Sir," Kal said, unhappily. "My par…the _king and queen, _appear to have gifted you with something special for our journey."

As angered as Kal was by his rough treatment at the hands of Sir Bruce, his mind was occupied by his parents. He'd always excelled in his studies, both academic and martial, and had been spending increasing amounts of time with his father as he began to learn all that went into ruling a kingdom, even as he kept up his magic studies with his mother.

And yet, his parents had measured him and found him lacking. That shook his confidence in himself to the core, and seriously damaged his trust in his parents. Until this moment, he'd thought himself to be close to them, but apparently was not.

Bruce dragged Kal to his feet, they both bowed low to the king and queen, and then waited for the queen to release her barrier spell before using a small side door to exit the throne room.

"We don't leave until early morning," Bruce said, once they were clear of the throne room, "so you have tonight to yourself before taking up your new duties."

"In that case," Kal said acidly, "I would greatly appreciate it if you'd put that amulet away so I can heal before the evening meal. I don't think anyone wants to see me bleeding while they eat."

As Bruce let Kal stomp off by himself, he could hear the disgruntled prince mutter, "Stupid amulets are only supposed to be for training purposes anyway."

Once Kal got out of the range of the amulet, he could feel a rush as his stored solar energy healed his few injuries. "Stupid sonofabitch!" he raged, without really knowing whether he was truly referring to his father the king, Sir Bruce, or even himself. He sped his way up to his suite of rooms and ordered a meal to be sent to him there. He had no intention of spending his last free night sitting at a table with the people who'd arranged for him to leave in the first place.

Kal realized he _would_ have to swing by and visit Mara before he left though; he just couldn't leave without seeing his kid sister one last time. Thinking of her brought thoughts of her numerous ladies-in-waiting, who were reputed to be the finest young women in the kingdom. When looking in on them as they sat with Mara in the solar room, he often wondered if one of them would be chosen by his parents to be his bride someday.

He suddenly wished this wasn't such a big secret, otherwise, he might be able to turn this hurried departure to his advantage and wangle a kiss or two from a few of Mara's ladies-in-waiting, when she was looking the other way.

Jor and Lara were disappointed, but not surprised, when their son took his meal in his rooms. They'd hoped to go over this again, as a family this time, but Kal refused to see them.

The meal was a somber affair, with Mara asking to be excused early so she could escape the oppressive gloom. She immediately sent a note to the men's quarters to ask Kal to meet her in the expansive parterre garden. She took one of her ladies with her, and headed outside after pulling on a light wrap.

Mara didn't have to wait long, as Kal hurried down from his suite and met her by the garden's centrally-located marble fountain, where she was sitting on the coping with her escort. Both women stood at Kal's approach; the women curtseyed deeply and Kal responded with a formal bow.

Mara was sixteen, almost three years Kal's junior, and the brightest ornament of the Alemanni court. Tall for a girl, she had masses of long, inky black curls, porcelain skin, piercing blue eyes, full, pouting lips, and a figure that was only hinted at by her saffron yellow dress.

The young woman next to her was one Kal didn't remember. She appeared to be three or four inches shorter than Mara, and maybe a year or two younger, with straw-colored hair in loose curls, cornflower blue eyes, a smattering of freckles across her nose, and a pleasingly-shaped face. Kal could tell the dove gray dress was new, and adding that to the fact he didn't remember her, he thought it likely the girl was a brand new addition to Mara's coterie of ladies-in-waiting.

"Hi, Mara," Kal said, smiling genuinely for the first time since leaving training with Sir Emmerich earlier in the day.

"Hi, Kal." Mara gestured to the woman standing at her side. "Kal? May I present Lady Elaine Ricard. Elaine? This is my brother, Prince Kal-El."

Kal stepped around Mara and held out his hand, palm up, to clasp the hand Elaine had held out for him to take. Keeping his green eyes focused on her blue ones, he raised her arm to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand.

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Elaine."

"The pleasure is all mine, your Highness."

"Please, Prince Kal will do milady."

Lady Elaine smiled widely. "As you wish…Prince Kal."

The young woman was all of fifteen, having just been sent by her family to the capital to spend a year as one of Princess Mara's ladies-in-waiting. It was a prime position, as it allowed Elaine a wider range of cultural opportunities than she'd ever experience at home, and her family also hoped she'd acquire a new level of sophistication, a final polish if you will, that she'd never achieve talking to tutors.

This plum assignment also made it possible for her to meet a large cross section of the most eligible young nobles in the kingdom. Every noble family with a daughter hoped their girl would catch the eye of a young man that would be an advantageous match, and Kal knew they all considered _him_ to be the ultimate prize. _What better way to improve your family's fortunes than by marrying the crown prince? _

Kal had, predictably, tired of the marriage game long ago. All he waited for now was his parents to tell him who he must marry. Since he couldn't marry for love, he hoped the girl was at least pretty; the idea of having to endure regular sexual relations with a woman he neither cared for nor could stand to look at was pretty much his idea of the ninth circle of Hell.

Having done his duty and met Lady Elaine, Kal asked her if he might borrow his sister for private conversation. "Sure, take her wherever you want, just as long as I can still see her."

"I'm glad to see you take your responsibilities so seriously, Lady Elaine. Mara and I will just be over there." So saying, Kal led his sister to the far side of the large fountain, where the burbling sounds of the water were sufficient to mask their voices from any listener.

"Hi, Kiddo, what did you want to see me about?" Kal asked.

"Dinner. You weren't there, and Mom and Dad were less lively than I've seen them at at least two different state funerals. What's up?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow, at their _special_ request, so I doubt I was missed much at dinner by anyone but you."

"Leaving…what?"

"The palace, the city," Kal shrugged his shoulders, "maybe the entire kingdom for all I know." He took Mara's hands into his own, and chose his words with care. "The king and queen have decided I need some training or experiences they cannot provide for me here. There are other things going on that I dare not speak of."

"You are beginning to scare me, Kal."

"Sorry about that, Mara. I don't mean to push my problems off on you."

"Your problems frequently _become_ my problems, Brother," Mara said with a smile. "For what affects one member of this family affects us all."

"Be strong, Mara. I will write whenever I can be assured of the safety of doing so, though that may not be often." And then he ventured a smile, twin to the one she had just given him. "Whatever else happens, Little Sister, do _not_ allow them to marry you off until I'm here to see it."

"Marriage? Father hasn't even begun receiving envoys, much less actual candidates."

"Yet attendance at court functions is always highest when it's known well in advance you will be there. Be careful. Pay attention. Our parents don't always tell us what they are doing."

"I promise, Kal." Mara tilted her head in thought and then her eyes lit up. "I know just the thing. My ladies hear all sorts of gossip, all I have to do is gently direct them on the kinds of gossip for which to listen."

"That sounds workable, and safe." Kal lifted his sister's hands to his mouth for the briefest brush of his lips. "I had better go. The knight I have been assigned to means for us to leave early in the morning, and I believe early to _him_ means before dawn."

A simple hand kiss wouldn't do for Mara, and she pulled her beloved older brother into a hard hug that left her crying into his shoulder. "Come back to me, Kal. You here me? It does no good for me to stall our parents if you don't survive. Come back. I want you to _be _at that wedding…of course," she added slyly, "_you_ may be the one getting married first. The kingdom _does_ need an heir."

"So I hear…constantly. That's the one good thing about leaving now," Kal replied. "I don't have to attend next month's royal ball for my birthday. No more prospective _brides_ to meet."

Kal hugged his sister hard, with a strength that only another Kryptonian could withstand, and hurried off, stopping only to take his leave from Lady Elaine.

"You look sad, your Highness," Elaine observed once Mara made her way around the fountain again to rejoin her escort.

"It's only Mara when we are alone, Elaine. I thought I'd told you that by now," Mara scolded gently. "And yes, I am sad. But I can't tell you why, it's a secret."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

On the Road

The four Langs sat around the private dining table in the family quarters and ate an evening meal one last time. The last week had been a whirlwind of preparations for them as they decided what had to go, what needed to stay, and then made the hard decisions about the things they wanted to bring that were not necessary: which ones got to come along in the limited space they had left in their wagon train, and which things would have to stay due to lack of space.

At the head of the table sat Lord Lewis Lang, fourteenth Baron of Roskilde, and fervent supporter of the El dynasty. Seated at his right hand was his eldest daughter, Lois, who was just eighteen. A tall, athletic woman, with long, slightly coarse blonde hair, and hazel eyes, she was more muscular than almost all other women and even _some_ men, but still considered beautiful by those who met her.

Sitting across from the Baron was his second daughter, Lana. She was sixteen, slender, of average height, with creamy skin, silky brown hair, small, soft lips, and what were considered to be her signature feature, large, enchanting hazel eyes.

Lastly, on the Baron's left, was his youngest child, Alicia. Newly fourteen and proud of it, Alicia was in between her older sisters in height, with warm brown eyes, long, straight blonde hair, and a winning smile that got her nearly everything she wanted.

Together, the three girls were their father's life. After his third wife died almost eight years ago, he'd thrown himself into helping raise those girls, which might tend to account for a level of education and independence in them that was unusual in women of any social class in the kingdom.

Once the dessert course was set before them, Lewis signaled for the servants to leave for the evening. He figured the breakfast servants could take the empty dessert dishes down to the kitchen tomorrow, but right now, he needed to talk to his daughters in private.

"Once we finish loading tomorrow, we'll go ahead and leave," Lewis said. "Lois? I've decided you'll stay here with the skeleton staff of servants to wait for my new arms master who is coming to join us all the way from the summer palace."

"From the capital city?" Alicia asked dreamily.

Lewis smiled indulgently at his youngest daughter. "Almost, Dear. The summer palace is about thirty miles outside of Königsberg itself. The arms master's being sent here by the king himself."

"I should ever so much like to see the capital someday," Alicia added. "I hear it's a grand city, with wide, tree-lined boulevards, ornate mansions, embassies from every kingdom that matters, and a never-ending swirl of social engagements."

"It's all that and more, Alicia, but right now, my duty takes us in the other direction, and for that, I am sorry." Lewis paused to look at each of his girls in turn, to let them see the truth of his sorrow, for each of his girls opposed the move, and had their own reasons for doing so. But when they realized his decision was final, the girls had swallowed their complaints and pitched in to make the move a success.

"As for tomorrow," Lewis added, "as I've already given Lois her assignment, all that remains is to tell her she's waiting for Sir Bruce Wayne and his party."

"The Dark Knight?" Lois asked eagerly.

Lana rolled her eyes at her sister's excitement over a man with such a brutal reputation. Alicia perked up a bit at the mention of a knight, and Lewis just continued to speak. "Yes, the Dark Knight. And while I've no doubt he's earned his reputation, remember that he is on _our_ side and has been sent by the king to aid us.

"Why do we need the aid of a brutal man like Sir Bruce, Father?" Lana asked. The quiet way she asked the question let her father know she was seriously concerned.

When his most level-headed child had a question, Lewis paid just a little more attention to his answer. "Because, Poppet, times are getting dangerous. Most of my small army is staying here to protect our people and to support the king. Our arms master will stay here to help train them, but the household guard we're taking with us needs an arms master, too, to keep its individual soldiers as sharp as can be. And since the king is sending me on this mission, he gladly supplied a knight to be an additional arms master. Given the gravity of the situation we are now in, he sent the roughest, toughest, hardest to kill man in the kingdom to teach my men those same skills."

Lana had heard vague rumors of unrest from her contacts with the various merchants that came to the castle, but she hadn't had any idea just how serious it was becoming until now. Not wanting to alarm Alicia, Lana kept any further questions to herself.

Lewis could tell Lana was holding back, and was grateful for it. He did _not_ want to make the journey tomorrow with a perpetually frightened Alicia jumping at every shadow along the way.

"Anyway, Lois…once Sir Bruce and his people are here, you are to take the small escort I'm leaving with you and travel with Sir Bruce through the Stein Pass and into Krakovia. It's a shorter, harder route to travel that should let you catch us before we reach our destination, depending on whether or not Sir Bruce is delayed along the way. The rest of the route, from the top of the pass, is on the map my cartographer made for you. You'll find it on your bed."

"Yes, Father."

"As for you, Lana, you're charged with taking our head housekeeper and another small escort to ride ahead of our baggage train. I want you two to make that manor and its stables livable before we get there. That includes hiring any additional servants you two think we need, both temporary ones to get the place ready, and permanent ones in case the staff we're bringing with us isn't enough. Stop by the treasury before you go to pick up a small chest of gold and silver to pay any hires, and to begin stocking the pantries with foodstuffs and the stables with fodder for the horses.

"And you, Alicia, will ride with the baggage train. You are in charge of distributing food at each meal stop. I know you've already worked out a schedule for that. I've seen it and approved it, so you get to implement it."

Lana nodded thoughtfully to herself, as she was used to the way her father leaned on her, but Alicia puffed up with pride, as this was the first time she'd been assigned an adult duty, and an independent one at that. Lord Lang had seen his daughters educated like men, for the most part, and now he was going to reap the benefits of it.

Once the small marzipan cake had been eaten, everyone said their goodnights and headed to bed. The girls removed their dresses and stuffed them into nearly full trunks, to be cleaned upon reaching their destination. After they dressed for bed, the only thing left out was a change of clothes for the morning.

Lois was staying to wait, but had no idea just how long she'd be waiting, so her things were just as completely packed as those of the other girls. Most of her finery was already loaded on wagons for the trip anyway .

Lana had two additional changes of dresses and underclothes with the extra clothes which would be stuffed into the large saddlebags on her horse in the morning. All three dresses had split skirts, so she could ride astride a horse without baring her legs, and each dress came with a hat to match to keep the sun off her face and to keep the dirt out of her hair, which would be knotted on top of her head in the no-nonsense style she preferred.

Alicia had the same number of dresses ready, but hers were all conventional ones since she didn't like to ride and had no intention of doing it for weeks as they made their way westward and then southward. She would ride in a plain, but sturdy carriage, and take the long route along the distant but flat coastal road with her father and the baggage train.

After a hearty breakfast, the Lang family went their separate ways. Lana collected the head housekeeper and the assigned guard for the trip of two knights and eighteen other armored horsemen, along with one light wagon for the money chest and their supplies.

Lana kissed her sisters and her father goodbye, before pulling on her supple leather gloves, adjusting her hat before tying it securely under her chin, and then using the mounting block to step onto her horse. A groom from the stables was at the ready to adjust the length of Lana's stirrups if necessary, but that was not necessary as the equerry had them perfectly adjusted. One of the two knights led the guard of twenty, but Lana led the mission and thus everyone waited on her. Giving one last crooked smile to her family, she clucked at her horse, used the reins to point him in the right direction, and then lightly dug in her heels to get him moving forward.

Once the whole procession had filed through the small city which huddled around the base of the small mesa that Roskilde Castle was on, and had made it out onto the open, dust-choked, narrow road that led directly to the coastal road off in the distance, Lana told the leader of her guard to array his men as he saw fit and to set a reasonable pace for them and their wagon.

Later that day, Lord Lang, the Baron of Roskilde and Lady Alicia left the castle in the midst of a long wagon train of soldiers, servants, supplies for the trip, and belongings. Being her first assignment that really mattered, Alicia was as nervous as a cat in a roomful of dogs, _except_ for when actually called on to fulfill her duties. Lewis made sure to stay out of her way, but watched with burgeoning pride as his youngest spread her wings and flew for the first time. She was a nervous wreck by the end of the first day, but one look at her father, and seeing him look back at her the way she knew he always looked at Lana, and she knew she was doing well. Alicia's father's approval, never bestowed lightly, was all the confidence she would need. The rest of the trip passed easily for her.

Lois was bored out of her skull less than half a day after the wagon train left the castle, and turned to sharpening her martial skills for entertainment. She stripped off her dress and its attendant underlayers and pulled on her custom-made suit of brown leather armor. It was enough to give her a decent amount of protection, while being light enough to let her make use of her quickness to get around someone's guard and stab them where their protection was minimal.

Lois knew she wasn't ever going to overpower a man in a toe-to-toe slugging match with sword and oaken shield, so her style eschewed the use of a shield completely, instead relying on dual short swords to deflect blows with one hand that she wasn't quite able to dodge, before striking with her other blade.

Working out in the castle's waryard involved dull weapons, but they could still leave spectacular bruises and even break bones if a blow landed flush. Lois had been given the best instruction her father could manage, however, she had some talent, and, she suspected, most of the men took it easy on her. But if they took it easy on her, she didn't reciprocate, instead choosing to beat the snot out of anyone who was a hair too slow. If they were going to patronize her, she had no problem with making them pay.

The next morning, well before dawn, while Lois' victims were still sleeping off their beatings, Kal woke up as a bucket of rainwater drenched his sleeping form.

"Wake up, Prince Charming," Bruce yelled derisively. "You're done lolling about."

Kal leapt to his feet right in the middle of the bed, going from prone to standing with no in between. Bruce had left the training amulet down with his gear, and was beginning to wonder if that had been wise when Kal's eyes locked on him as the source of the water.

"_You,"_ Kal breathed, as he choked down a sudden urge to beat the obnoxious knight from head to toe. There was a fire in his eyes that didn't have anything to do with women. Bruce had been warned about Kal's volcanic temper. He was said to be easy to anger, and hard to cool off.

Both men just stood there until Kal's eyes slowly lost their fire-like gleam, and then a suitably chastened Bruce pointed to a chair. "There's your clothing and armor, Kal. You've got one more set of clothes in your saddlebags, except for the boots. Get dressed, it's time to go."

Bruce started to turn, but Kal was dressed and standing in the doorway before he completed his turn. "Friggin' showoff."

The two headed downstairs, walked through empty passageways, and out a rarely used door. From there their path was lit by the moon as they wended their way through the various gardens near the palace, steadily heading toward where Bruce had their horses waiting. There were four horses in total, a palfrey for each of them to ride, a packhorse for Kal to lead, and Bruce's warhorse, a courser, which he would lead himself.

Also waiting for them was a nominal guard of ten armored horsemen. The extra soldiers were enough to make Bruce and Kal an untempting target, especially since neither of them would be dressed in anything other than plain armor now that Bruce had his fancy stuff packed away.

"At our first stop of the day, once it's light and we're well away from anyone," Bruce said, "we're going to have to cut that damn hair of yours. That pretty long hair you have now is too recognizable and in any case, you haven't _earned_ the right to wear a warrior's braid."

Kal reflexively reached up toward his hair just before pulling on a half helm with a camail that hung down from the helmet to protect his neck. He really liked his hair, but had the feeling that arguing would just earn him another beating. "I'll need to get a new half helm and padded liner then. This one won't fit."

Bruce looked sourly at Kal. "You need to stop talking whenever you feel like it, Squire, _but,_ you did say something I needed to take into consideration, so don't worry about it…this time." Bruce pointed to the horses. "As my squire, you'll be responsible for taking care of both palfreys and the packhorse at every stop. Don't…touch…the warhorse. He's as likely to kill you as you are to do anything useful with him. I will show you how to care for the horses one time and one time only. Screw it up after that and you'll wake every morning with my boot in your ear."

Kal tried to signal that he had something to say. Having to wait for permission from a man who seemed as far from nobility as he was from being a woman galled Kal, but as a squire, he had no other recourse.

"Yes, Kal?" Bruce asked indulgently.

"Your squire is well aware of how to care for a horse, unless one of these three has a particular requirement."

Surprised, Bruce asked, "How did you come by knowledge of anything resembling _work,_ Squire?"

"You obviously haven't trained in horsemanship under the eye and sharp tongue of father's Master of Horse. To him, learning to ride meant learning how to care for the horse as well. Once I was large enough to handle the care of my horse, riding lessons stropped until I _could_ care for him."

Kal noticed Bruce seemed to be looking back toward the palace, as if he was expecting someone. Curious, but not interested in getting clouted on the ear, Kal waited patiently.

They were rewarded when three darker shadows resolved into his mother in a hooded black cloak and two nasty looking bodyguards, whose swords were already out, because every soldier in the clearing had weapons they really couldn't get rid of. Everyone in the clearing bowed on one knee and waited.

"You may rise," Queen Lara said quietly but clearly. "I am pleased you got my message to wait, Sir Bruce."

"As always your Majesty, a pleasure to serve."

Lara studied Bruce closely. "A word with you privately, Sir Bruce."

Bruce nodded and followed the queen into the gloom, but not until handing Kal his swordbelt, from which hung a sword and two daggers. He knelt once more before the queen, but this time, she did not invite him to rise. "That stunt you pulled in the throne room was as unnecessary as it was brutal. Had my husband followed my advice, you would have been beaten within an inch of your life and thrown into the dungeon at Adlerhorst Castle. When someone finally remembered you were there and had served your time…well, people don't usually do so well up there.

"My husband seems to think you'll make a man of Kal. I say he already is and just needs some responsibility to make him grow up the rest of the way." Lara stretched her arms straight out on either side of her body. As she said, "Flamma," her hands glowed purple, and firebolts shot out of each one to streak across the darkness of the predawn in the small sideyard before each firebolt struck a large tree and consumed it in seconds.

"So let me be perfectly clear. Bring my son back in one piece. Mentally as well as physically, or I _will_ come find you, and what you did to my son will be as _nothing_ to what I'll do to you."

Bruce had been around long enough to know the difference between a threat and a sworn promise. He'd just been on the receiving end of the latter. There was no doubt in his mind that the queen was willing to lay it all on the line to protect her son. "You may rise, Sir Bruce. Be worthy of your title, not your reputation, and you will succeed in the duty my husband has laid upon you."

"Yes, your Majesty."

Lara led Sir Bruce and her two bodyguards back to the small gathering and called her son forward. "Your sister came to me in tears tonight and begged me to give you some assistance, even though she didn't seem to know much about where you were going or even exactly why." One of her guards handed her a leather traveler's money belt, and she handed it to Kal. "Look inside, but only use the contents in an emergency. And I don't mean so you can buy an extra bottle of wine to impress a girl." Then she handed him a small, folded sheet of expensive-looking paper. "Mara sent this and insisted you read it before you go."

Kal looked inside the leather belt first before affixing it to his waist, under his undershirt, his padded leather overshirt and his shirt of chain mail. Then he opened the note, shifted his stored energy to magical use, and said, "Lumos." A small ball of pure light appeared in his open hand, which was more than enough for him to read by.

Dear Kal,

It is strange, but when Lady Elaine and I came back from meeting you, we found out from one of my other ladies that I, too, am to be sent away. I know not where or when, else I would tell you straightaway. I am beginning to be afraid, though I must not show it in front of my ladies, as they look to me for guidance in how they themselves are to act.

As for Mother, I hope she found your rings and got them in there as they were the only things I could think you might make use of in an emergency. Oh, Mother also mentioned including your bank plate, but I do not see how that will help, not after the money you spent on that huge necklace for Harry's sister. Of course, you might have more money than me, I don't know.

Be careful, Kal. Come back to me.

Your loving sister,

Mara

Kal extinguished his light, called out, "Incendia," and a small flame licked upward from Kal's hand to incinerate the sheet. He then took up his position next to his new horse, and waited for his knight's command. Bruce had _his_ eyes and ears on Lara, waiting for her command to depart.

When the queen finally nodded her head, Bruce bellowed, "Mount!" and all twelve of them climbed into the saddle at once. All rode by the queen, in a slow, disorganized parade and saluted her silently. Lara stood there like an apparition in the early morning darkness, silently haunting their exit, her eyes seeming to burn as they bored into Sir Bruce's back.

"Captain?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, Sir Bruce?" the senior officer of the guard detachment asked.

"Lead us to the armory, and wake someone up if you have to. We need a smaller helmet for my squire, and a padded liner to match."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Roskilde

It was nighttime of the their first day on the road. Bruce had set a strong pace during the day, but it was one their horses could easily maintain, especially on the smooth, flat stone highways maintained by the crown for reasons of defense and trade.

Not long before sunset, Bruce located a suitable campsite, and after caring for his warhorse, busied himself with consulting the map the king's cartographer had prepared for him, while his squire kept on tending to the other three horses they had. They all had to be watered, but not allowed to drink too much, too fast, then fed a small bag of grain from their stores before being allowed to supplement that grain with grass.

All three horses then had to be curried, and Kal threw a little bit of super-speed into his efforts or else he'd be at it too late to get any of the dinner the soldiers were making in the pot. Once he was done with the horses, Kal reported to Bruce and waited for him to inspect his work. When Bruce was satisfied that the horses' needs had been met, Kal was released to see to his own.

Kal would ordinarily be responsible for making sure his knight ate first, but Bruce had eaten two bowls of beans after he had finished checking their day's progress against his new map. Kal ate one bowl of beans and a hunk of the bread they'd bought in the last town they'd been through. The food wasn't nearly enough to satisfy _his _stomach, but he'd be damned if he'd eat more than his share on this trip.

Lack of food was something he'd have to get used to. So was being completely bald. He rubbed his head again, still remembering the acrid smoke his long black hair had made when he'd burned it after he'd hacked it off with a dagger. Sir Bruce had then shaved his head completely bald using a sharp razor and a bit of soap and hot water. _At least my new helmet and padded liner fit._

The other thing he had to get used to was being called…

"Squire Clark, at our current rate of travel," Bruce said, "we will be in Roskilde in less than three weeks. After a layover of a couple of days to rest, the last leg of the journey will take us roughly another two weeks."

"Thank you, Sir Bruce."

"Don't thank me yet. Grab your sword. It's time for me to see you work through the various sword forms you've learned."

"Yes, Sir."

By the time Clark picked up his sword belt from where he'd placed it and his bedroll, Bruce had gone to his horse and retrieved the lead-lined box that contained the amulet. As Bruce draped the amulet around Kal's neck, where it belonged for this exercise, he got curious and asked, "I know this thing takes away your powers, but how? I thought this green stuff was supposed to cripple your people, and leave them crawling in agony."

As Kal began to limber up, something he needed to do without his powers, he said, "These amulets are magical constructs. The green stuff, Kryptonite, would do as you say all on it's own. But these amulets aren't green, they're green and silver.

"The silver color is provided by lead, the one substance than can shield us from the effects of the Kryptonite. Someone learned how to combine the two in such a way that the resultant product would take away our powers without causing pain or death.

"That makes these amulets great for training purposes. Otherwise, we'd move too fast to be taught by anyone other than another Kryptonian."

Glad he didn't have to wear armor for this exercise, Clark stripped down a bit, leaving his chest bare and only wearing his pants and his boots. Then he moved through the various sword forms one after another, in an ever more rapid dance.

Bruce had been prepared to be disappointed by the young prince, but was pleasantly surprised by the speed and accuracy of his movements. Bruce then began calling out specific forms and watched as Clark deftly worked his way through each one.

When Clark worked up a thin layer of sweat all over his face and chest, Bruce pulled out his blade, and the two began to dance. Neither one was wearing armor, but Bruce had seen enough to believe Clark was at the least a very good swordsman, one who might become great if he got to spend enough time with it, and he had little fear of any injury.

Even so, they went back and forth at three-quarters speed, shuffling back and forth across the sun-burnt grass of early summer. Clark was soaked by the time Bruce called a halt, and Bruce was sweating heavily, too.

"Tomorrow morning, early, before breakfast," Bruce said, as he wiped the sweat from his face, "I'll begin your training in hand-to-hand combat."

"Throws, strikes, holds, and chokes?" Clark asked.

"Eventually," Bruce said, "but the first thing you need to do is learn how to fall down properly. To learn to dissipate the force of your fall over your entire back so that one hard blow doesn't injure you too badly."

Bruce collected the amulet from Clark and placed it back into the lead-lined box. "Now go clean up in the stream and get some sleep. Morning will come early for you."

And that's how it went for Clark over the following two and a half weeks. Morning training in hand-to-hand combat, preparing the horses for the day's trip, overseeing the watering and feeding of those three horses at each stop during the day, caring for the horses at night, followed by more training with weapons. Clark suspected he would feel half-dead if not for the daily restorative power of the Sun.

When Roskilde Castle finally came into view, still miles in the distance, the whole party smiled. The prospect of getting off the road and sleeping in real beds and eating a real meal was looking attractive after eating road dust for almost three weeks. As a knight, Bruce could look forward to more than that. He'd likely sleep on a feather mattress with a down-filled quilt over the top of him. Clark, while in the same room as his knight, would have no such comforts.

One of the castle guards, this one stationed on top of the castle gatehouse, saw the approaching party of twelve and raised the alarm. As the road up to the castle from the town below was long and winding, Lois was ready and waiting along with her father's castellan, and the commander of the guard that she would be traveling with from here to Krakovia. The one thing Lois forgot was that she was still in her body-hugging leather armor, which was surely _not_ how any group of visiting men would expect to be received by a lady.

Bruce was in the lead, with Clark at his side and slightly behind him. They trotted into the first courtyard with their other two horses and the ten armored horsemen behind them. Riding directly up to Lois and her two escorts, Bruce dismounted and handed his reins to Clark. He then bowed low, but did not kneel. Lois returned his bow with a bow of her own, since she was wearing armor rather than a proper dress, which scandalized all of the visiting men, including Bruce. But it bothered, and intrigued, Clark most of all.

As Bruce straightened up and went through the formal exchange of greetings between Lady Lois and Sir Bruce, Clark watched Lois intently, wondering what kind of Lady dressed that way, and could she really use those twin short swords she had belted on her hips. He rather thought she'd need to if she went down into town dressed like that; otherwise she ran a rather strong risk of being raped by a man who'd never even seen a _prostitute_ dress in such a provocative manner.

Still, Clark admitted to himself there was no denying the lady's beauty. Her armor left no doubt where her curves were located, and her smile was free and easy. He suspected the long, dark blonde hair that was pulled back in a ponytail would look rather nice should she ever take a notion to fix it up.

After introducing the castellan and her guard commander, Lois gave a signal, and a rush of stable boys came forward to take charge of the horses. Bruce reclaimed the reins of his horse from Clark, so he could then dismount and hand over his horses to a waiting stable boy.

The men all grabbed their saddlebags and any other personal belongings, before a junior housekeeper led them off to where they were going to be housed. Clark held both his and Bruce's loaded saddlebags over one arm with ease, while his half helm was held in his other hand, with its chain camail stuffed inside.

Just before she started to have the acting head housekeeper lead Sir Bruce and his squire to their room, Lois got her first good look at the hulking young man and nearly felt her knees buckle as she started to stare. The Dark Knight was handsome, Lois had no trouble admitting that, but his squire was…was _gorgeous. _Inky black hair that was barely more than a quarter inch long, sea green eyes, chiseled facial features, and a body that had to be half a foot taller than hers at the very least.

There was a small welcoming feast that night, and Clark had had enough time to wash out his second set of clothes to make himself presentable. Bruce, of course, had a larger selection of clothes with him, including one nice set of clothes for formal occasions. Dinner wasn't too formal, or else Clark may have found himself serving his master during the meal instead of eating, but while Bruce sat at the head table at Lady Lois' right hand as the guest of honor, Clark was far down the dining hall, past most of the soldiers in attendance.

The blow to his dignity was small as he had a fairly good idea ahead of time this would happen, and the soldiers he sat with were good natured company, though a bit vile in their habits and language for Clark's taste.

After dinner, Lois expressed a desire to hear some of Bruce's stories from some of the campaigns he's been on, but he pled tiredness from the long trip and begged to be allowed to sleep. Lois wasn't especially happy with his reticence, but played the gracious hostess and agreed.

Clark was in position behind Bruce before he left the dining hall to head to his reasonably comfortable room. Clark's bed was in a very small room that branched off from Bruce's much larger one. All he had room for was a narrow pallet, with a few hooks on the wall for his clothes, his sword, and any other belongings. His armor was outside, waiting for him in the waryard.

Clark knew better than to ask why Bruce had denied Lois' request. He figured an impertinent question would just end with him cleaning out the stables with the stable boys in the morning or something even worse.

Bruce didn't talk about that, or any other subject, until they reached his bedroom. As one of his duties as a squire was to defend his knight from attack, Clark searched the room with his x-ray vision, even looking into his tiny closet of a room, before declaring the room safe.

"There was a reason I asked Lady Lois to withdraw her request," Bruce said abruptly. "Too many people sit safe in their castles and palaces and revel in the _glory _of war and killing." Bruce looked at Clark, making sure he had his squire's attention. "There _is_ no glory in war, other than achieving your objectives at the smallest price possible." Bruce stepped into the room then and said wistfully, "I'd give _anything_ to do the things you can do."

Clark was used to hearing that from almost everyone he came into contact with socially, and he assumed the servants and other commoners were the same. It was the first thing he'd heard from Bruce to indicate he was anything like regular people. Curious as to Bruce's reasoning, Clark asked, "Why is that, Sir Bruce?"

Using the brutal honesty that was one of his hallmarks, Bruce said, "I could kill more enemies and do it much faster. Then more of our people would survive uninjured, making them happier, and making it easier for us to win the _next_ battle with little loss."

Clark nodded to himself, noting once again Bruce's extremely pragmatic attitude. Anything that helped him and his side win faster and more cleanly was good; anything that didn't was a waste of his time. _Sir Bruce could use some expanded horizons. Maybe when this is all over, Father can give him an assignment that goes beyond killing or training for it. A life that narrow is really no life at all._

One other thing about Bruce that Clark noted in passing was that he sounded less blood-thirsty than expected. Bruce only wanted to kill faster and more efficiently to save lives on his side. It was something Clark needed to think about.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A Price

The next morning was the same for Bruce and Clark as any other since Clark had begun training. They were in the waryard as the sun came up to begin the day's training in hand-to-hand combat. Clark was wearing his amulet, as always during training, and was looking forward to another spectacular collection of bruises from the morning's workout…bruises that would fade faster than the morning mist once he removed the amulet and put it away.

Bruce was a harsh taskmaster and was giving Clark the bruises he expected, when Lois came down to the waryard, dressed in her leather armor, roughly half an hour after the two newcomers had started. Lois had heard of this type of fighting, and thought it originated in the distant lands of Cipango and Cathay, but she knew her father would never tolerate her learning it, as it would require her to be handled in far too familiar a way by a man she had not married. Still, she watched with interest as the smaller, more experienced man demonstrated holds, throws, strikes, and kicks and then used them on the huge squire.

Clark was sweating profusely by now and wanted nothing more than to remove his undershirt so he could cool a bit…and to keep Bruce from getting an easy hold on him any time he wanted. But Bruce had told him prior to coming down here than his clothes had to stay on because it might make someone wonder how the bruises he had earned in the morning were gone by the time they had evening weapon practice.

The ten soldiers they'd brought with them knew the truth, that Squire Clark of Kent was really Crown Prince Kal-El, but they were retired members of the king's own household guard, brought out of retirement specifically for this vital mission. There wasn't a man among them that owed a debt or had a family to threaten, and all had proven their loyalty to the crown many times over. Those stiff qualifications were why there were only ten of them, but as fit men in their late thirties and early forties, they were still capable of anything Bruce might demand of them.

They leaned against the wall of the waryard, a few feet below where Lois stood on the steps, and made derisive comments about Clark's skills, or lack thereof. To them, it was part of Clark's camouflage, and a rare treat to try and humiliate a royal prince without fear of retaliation.

This morning's practice ended when Clark did something new: he landed his first bruise-causing blow square on Bruce's midsection, causing the famous knight to roll on the ground gasping for breath. The ten veterans raised a lusty cheer for Clark, which had him feeling pretty good, until one of them snidely pointed out it had taken him almost three weeks to do it. That made the men laugh even harder, and Clark walked over to Bruce to drag him to his feet.

"That's enough for today, you bastards!" Bruce said, with just a bit more heat than he had intended. "Get your armor on. It's time to see if you can handle the ten men of Roskilde Castle that Lord Lang assigned to guard his eldest on our journey."

Clark fetched his master a dipper of water from a nearby bucket, which Bruce promptly dumped over his head to cool off as the men arrayed themselves for a workout. Clark immediately brought another dipper full which Bruce drank, not minding the slightly warm taste one bit.

"Thank you, Squire," Bruce said. "Now help me on with my armor, then get some water for yourself."

With Clark's help, Bruce quickly pulled on his shirt of chain mail, which hung down past his waist, steel-banded vambraces to cover his forearms, thick leather gauntlets to cover his hands, steel-banded greaves to cover his shins, and last on, his helmet with its dangling chain mail neck guard called a camail.

Bruce intended to be out amongst his charges, as he had no doubt that most of them were below Clark's abilities and were in need of some serious instruction. Even though they all had blunted weapons, his armor was on to ensure his safety. His full battle armor was still in his room, where it had been delivered before bedtime the night before. While it was from the far east, much like his curved, single-edged sword and hand-to-hand fighting style, and was lighter than its Alemanni counterpart, it was still comparatively cumbersome and hot and thus not for him today. Things were going smoothly, though, until Lois thought this looked fun and decided to join in.

"Who's going to fight me?" she asked.

"No one, Milady," Bruce replied. "All the men are paired up already, and they need the training."

"But I want to practice!_ You_ fight me." Clark began to smile inside, as he wanted to see how Bruce handled someone he could not order around. Clark had met many petulant ladies at court, just not one with swords strapped on her hips…and such hips. Seeing her in that tight leather was giving him thoughts he couldn't afford to have, especially not if he was going to keep his cover as Clark of Kent.

"Sorry, Milady," Bruce said, keeping his manner as apologetic as he could, which wasn't too much, "but I have to watch my charges and correct their mistakes. I have no time for fighting."

Frustrated, Lois pointed to Clark, who was just getting his drink of water. "What about him? He's not doing anything."

"Squire Clark has just completed a lengthy and rigorous training session. Asking him for more right now would be unfair, and possibly dangerous."

Bruce was appalled to see that Lois was unmoved. She wanted to fight and wasn't going away until she got what she wanted. Reluctantly, Bruce turned to Clark. "Squire Clark!"

"Yes, Sir Bruce!" Clark replied instantly as he snapped to attention, fearing he knew exactly what his master wanted.

"Your armor, if you please. It seems Lady Lois feels the need to receive a beating. You are hereby allowed to give her one."

Lois had begun her stretching exercises, but stopped and snarled at Bruce when she heard _that. _

Clark thought of a dozen arguments he could use, but he knew arguing was of no use. Bruce intended for Lois to learn a hard lesson, thus only making her learn it once. But Clark had other ideas because the very idea of striking a woman, much less a lady, was something he could _not_ countenance.

"My armor will _not_ be necessary, Sir Bruce," Clark said evenly. He walked over to one of the racks of practice weapons and chose a decent, and properly blunted long sword.

Lois had only _thought_ she was angry when Bruce had so casually ordered his _squire _to give her a beating…but _now,_ with the squire insisting that he didn't even need to wear any armor, she was livid! Lois readied her short swords, preparing herself to deal with a man who was huge, and obviously much stronger than she was. Like always, she'd just have to rely on her quickness.

The other twenty soldiers stopped what they were doing and gathered around at a safe distance to watch. The men meant to escort Lois knew her ability, but they'd never seen her go up against someone who knew what he was doing and was willing to go all out against her. The idea that someone they didn't know might harm their lady had these men itching to leap to her defense.

The ten brought from the summer palace kept looking nervously at Bruce, as they knew he was the one in charge of Clark's safety. They could see the tension in his sword arm, and thought he was on the verge of drawing to put a stop to this before it began.

Clark held his practice sword in one hand, with the tip dragging on the ground at his side. Bruce could see Clark's bruises, which meant he was still wearing the training amulet. _Foolish boy!_ Bruce raged. _He risks the realm with this._ But having made the match, all Bruce could do was step in and say, "Begin," before stepping out of the way and wondering if it was too late for him to start believing in prayer.

The moment Bruce started the fight, Lois moved in at an angle, and nearly fell over when Clark's first move was to drop his sword on the ground behind him and stand there as still as a statue, with his arms at his sides. Bruce blanched, and the twenty other onlookers gasped as Lois stopped, completely perplexed, and yelled, "Pick it up! Pick up that damn sword, Squire. Fight me. Fight like a man."

"No, your Ladyship," Clark said steadily, "I will _not_ pick up the sword, nor will I fight you." When Lois continued to bellow her challenge, calling Clark a coward and telling him she'd have the castle's seamstresses make him a raft of dresses if he was so determined to be a woman, all Clark said by way of reply was, "_Someone_ here has to be the lady, and if that will not be you, then so be it. I will not strike you…" Clark then gave a hard look at the men based here in the castle, "…and neither would _any_ man worthy of the name."

All ten men shrank back, ashamed to have to be taught such a basic lesson by a kid who was still learning his trade. Lois, however, went into a rage, and began striking Clark on the arms and legs with the flat of her blade, demanding he fight her. Her blows were coming faster and harder the longer Clark held out on her. He flinched with each and every blow, as her strikes added bigger and uglier bruises to the ones he'd already collected earlier, but strangely, his eyes weren't focused on Lois…they were focused on Bruce with a grim determination that let the knight know Clark intended to take this beating in Lois' stead.

Bruce was of two minds. One belonged to the man whose life was forfeit if Prince Kal-El did not come back in one pretty little piece. That man wanted to rush in and put a stop to this stupidity right now. But the other mind belonged to a man who was watching in sheer admiration as Clark took a serious beating on a lady's behalf, even though the lady in question deserved no consideration of the sort.

Clark accepted each painful blow, some of which were now landing across his chest, abs, and quads, as the price of being a gentleman. A hard price to be sure, but one he'd rather pay ten times than strike a woman once. A particularly hard series of blows finally drove Clark to his knees, but still he kept on denying Lois and struggled back to his feet.

An onlooker who was afraid Lois might kill Clark in the midst of her towering rage had run back into the main keep and hunted down the castellan, who ran for the waryard as soon as the situation was explained. The aging knight dove for Lois, tackling her and keeping her from doing any more damage, as Clark finally toppled flat on the ground from the last blow, a vicious swing that nearly broke his collarbone. Wild-eyed with adrenaline and still furious, Lois tried to break free, but the castellan overpowered her and took away her swords.

The acting head housekeeper rushed in then with two of her assistants and set to checking Clark for serious injuries. Finding none, they backed off and finally allowed the men to approach.

Bruce wanted nothing more than to pull the amulet off of Clark so he could heal, but he suddenly realized he couldn't. Any kind of instant recovery from this massive amount of bruising would be instant proof Clark was a son of one of the eight major houses in the land. And Clark had enough other physical clues to give anyone in the know a chance to figure out his identity rather easily once they suspected, so Bruce knew Clark was going to have to suffer for his principles, especially since they were due to resume their trip the day after tomorrow. Bruce did not relish Clark's first day in the saddle; he knew it would be nothing short of brutal…one of the legendary trials of Job.

Not being able to heal his charge, Bruce settled for raising him to a sitting position and then propping him up against a wall so he could rest and watch the practice. One result of Lois' beating of Clark, was that the ten retired guardsmen took it personally and then took it out on the castle soldiers, giving them a humiliating defeat in drill after drill. Bruce kept trying to fix their faults, but that just gave them something new to think about in the middle of a fight and got their asses kicked even faster.

Clark cheered on his comrades in arms with great gusto, even though doing so was costing him, as each deep breath was a new adventure in pain. He fell asleep halfway through the drills, and ended up having to be carried to Bruce's room, where the knight directed the soldiers to place him on the bed, and not on the thin pallet in his little side room.

Bruce spent the day using unguents brought by the household staff to soothe Clark's injuries, and when a solid meal proved more than his stomach could handle, Bruce fed him some chicken broth to get _some_ food inside of him. Bruce had been torn all day by anger at and admiration for what Clark had done, and finally the two spilled over.

"Freaking jackass!" Bruce muttered. "Leave it to you to do something that was so incredibly selfish and so inspiring at the same time." Bruce shook his head as he applied the unguent to an especially nasty bruise. "Making that kind of point to a bonehead like Lady Lois has only limited effect. She won't be horrified about what she did to you; she'll be angry that you humiliated her by taking her best shots and waiting placidly for more.

"And while I do admire your rigid insistence on not ever striking a lady, I have a hard lesson to pass on to you."

"And what might that be, Sir Bruce?" Clark asked softly.

"You are the Crown Prince of Alemannia. You are also the _only_ Prince of Alemannia. If you die…total chaos. At the very least, your father would have to divorce your mother so he could marry a much younger woman who could give him sons." Hearing that got Clark's attention. "_You_ have no right to stick to such lofty ideals of chivalry when they place your life in danger. _You_ don't have the luxury of being 'the perfect knight.' When a woman pulls a blade on you, you have to pay attention to the blade, not the woman."

"So…I should have beaten her like she did me?" Clark asked. The disdain in his voice was evident, even though he still spoke in a whisper.

"No. You would have stopped long before she did. The castellan told me she is a rash, prideful woman, and I admit our actions shamed her. Me insisting you thrash her, as if she wouldn't have anything to say about it, and then you, stating that your armor would not be needed. Of course, how could she know you intended to do what you did?" Bruce shook his head in wonder. "I still say that was a remarkable sacrifice.

"As a result of that mess, Lady Lois has proven herself to be untrustworthy with weapons. The castellan and I have agreed upon this and he will send a letter with us to Lord Lang describing the incident in full. Lady Lois will be angry, with the castellan, with me, and most of all, with you."

"With _me?" _Clark spoke louder than he intended and winced with pain.

"Yes. With you. The castellan and I have also decided Lady Lois needs to apologize to you…in front of the entire castle garrison as we leave two days hence. She will likely blame you for this additional layer of humiliation, to go with the ones you've given her already."

"That's just great. Riding will be a continuing misery, and I'll be riding with _another_ misery close by." Clark thought back to the waryard that very morning. "Her technique is sloppy, but she moves faster and hits much harder than she ought to be able to…I wonder if her family has any slight portion of Kryptonian blood."

"So…in the midst of getting the shit knocked out of you, and defying a direct order from me, you still managed to notice her footwork and other moves." Bruce cracked a smile. "If you survive your insane need to adhere to an overly romantic view of chivalry, you might actually have a future in this business…should the trifling king thing not end up working out."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Underway

Clark had spent the entire day of his beating resting, but surprised everyone, including Bruce, by dragging himself out to the waryard for hand-to-hand combat practice the next morning. He was stiff and sore, and Bruce tried to get him to go back to bed so he could conserve his energy for the long ride ahead of them on the next day, but Clark wouldn't have it.

"It would take something away from the honor of that beating if I then hid myself in a soft bed like some weak-kneed prince. I made my choice. Teach me something useful…if it please you, Sir Bruce."

Bruce's admiration for the young prince grew with each day, but once Clark loosened up with some prolonged stretching, Bruce let him have it with a full workout that centered on throws. Clark was in pain from the first, and by the time the workout was over, he felt like his _bruises_ had bruises. And though he wanted nothing more than to rest, his duties as a squire intruded, so he had fetch water for Bruce and then help arm him for the practice session he was going to hold next for the twenty men who would be accompanying them south the next day.

Only then was Clark released to see to his own comfort, and he greedily sucked down a couple of dippers of lukewarm water before finding a shady spot to sit in. Now that he was done fighting, his abused muscles began to stiffen, and he knew that standing up again would be a real challenge.

Lois had heard about the young squire's attempt at rejoining his morning training session and had watched from a shaded window high over head. Lois blamed Clark, at least partially, for the loss of her weapons, and was thus still a bit angry with him, but seeing his determination to train, despite the beating she'd given him and the way it hampered his mobility, forced her to admit he was tough, and was someone she'd want on her side when things got desperate.

But then she recalled the public apology she was going to have to make to him the next morning. She didn't _want_ to, but her father's castellan was in charge of what happened in the castle and he had ordered her to apologize, so she would. Knowing the squire was responsible for another humiliation caused her to turn her back and drift off into the castle, looking for something to do.

By the time Clark was ready to make his way to the waryard for his lesson on fighting with weapons, he was beginning to seriously wonder if pride had gotten him in over his head today. The only good thing about this workout was that he was a talented swordsman and knew it, and thus should be better able to defend himself. Still, almost every muscle ached from the start, and today's training involved him using a long sword in one hand and a small shield made entirely out of iron, called a buckler, in the other. Both implements felt like lead in his arms once Bruce was through with him, and only the fear of not being able to get back up kept him on his feet. Clark ate heartily that night, the largest and most solid meal he'd had since leaving the palace three weeks earlier, and then made sure he had everything laid out that Bruce might need before moving into his closet of a room and sleeping the sleep of the dead.

The next morning, Bruce led a party of twenty-four riders and any number of packhorses on what was to be a two-week trip. Three days to climb Stein Pass and ten or eleven days from there down the pass and through the Grand Duchy of Krakovia to the large manor house and associated lands that Lord Lang had leased.

That same day, at the far end of Alemannia, a strong, hard-looking man in his mid-forties ran a hand through thinning, graying hair and stooped over a large table that dominated the room in which he was standing. With steel gray eyes the man reviewed the disposition of military forces on the map spread over one end of the table. Located high in the central keep of Walachia Castle, the Map Room was where Dru-Zod, Duke of Walachia and Lord General of the King's Legion spent most of his time when on one of his rare stays at home.

Today, the brightly painted wooden counters signifying the units of the King's Legion and all the smaller forces belonging to the various nobles of the kingdom meant little to him; he knew their locations and strengths by heart, and was only looking at them to have something to do while he waited for a special messenger to arrive from his spies in the summer palace.

The duke had received a terse report almost two weeks ago stating the crown prince had disappeared from the palace. This worried Duke Dru-Zod somewhat as it came so close to the launching of his plans, but without more specific information, he could not hope to choose a correct course of action, so he sent a request for clarification back to his spies.

The limiting factor here was time. Such a message took nearly a week to reach his people in the palace, and then two or three days for them to gather what information they could, before their gleanings could make the nearly week long journey back to Walachia Castle. By then, roughly three weeks would have passed from the time the original message had been sent from the palace, three weeks in which the boy could have gone _anywhere._

The one thing that was obvious was that the boy was _not_ gone on any official function. No goodwill trip to a neighboring kingdom, no visit to the royal dockyards with his sister to christen a new warship, not even a visit to his future seat of power in Borussia. _Any trip like that would have drawn attention like blood draws flies, and I would have known about it before he left the palace._

Shortly after a lunch of red wine and redder beef, the long-awaited messenger made the long climb up the keep's stone-flagged spiral staircase and waited to be shown into his master's presence.

The messenger approached within three steps of the duke and then dropped to one knee while holding up the oiled leather message pouch where the duke could take the message at his leisure.

"Rise, Boy," Dru-Zod said, roughly. "I'm not the king." _Not yet anyway._

Reaching into the pouch, the duke found two rolled up sheets of vellum. A quick look showed both to be written in the small, precise hand of his spymaster in the royal palace. Both were written in code, but the code was known to Dru-Zod and the mental transposition required to read it was easy.

Both sheets were read twice and then Dru-Zod held them out in his hand and stared at them with eyes that were blazing red. Any powerful emotion triggered his heat vision, and right now he was feeling anger. The beams of heat that shot forth from Dru-Zod's eyes incinerated the vellum sheets almost as quickly as if they were paper.

_Not only is it confirmed that the prince is gone, and has been for three weeks now, but his sister has been gone from the palace for at least two weeks. Not only that, but no one seems to have seen them leave or know where they might have gone._ He pounded his fist on the map table and watched the counters jump in reply. _Damn it! The only way those two would disappear so completely, at the same time, was if my intentions have been discovered._

_My only choices are to go, now, with all that I have at hand and try to take the throne by force of arms, or sit back and wait for a more opportune moment. But I __**must**__ go for the throne before the boy becomes an adult and takes his place as Duke of Borussia. With that strength at hand to support his father…no, I must go now. No more waiting._

Not having been dismissed, the messenger had moved to one side of the room and awaited his lord's pleasure. Dru-Zod summoned him now.

"Find my Chief of Staff, and tell him to convene my full battle staff in one hour here in the Map Room."

The messenger bowed low in wordless acknowledgment, and backed his way out of the room before hurrying off.

Dru-Zod wasn't the only person busy making plans. Lana, Marie the head housekeeper, and their escort of twenty had reached the manor house the day before Bruce led his party south to join them. From her father's estimates, it should take him and his long wagon train roughly twice as long to complete the trip, so she had roughly three weeks to get the manor house and the extensive stables in ship-shape condition.

After their midday arrival, the soldiers spent the first afternoon cleaning the small family stables near the manor so their horses would have a proper home. Lana and Marie immediately began an inventory of the manor house and the soldier's barracks, which were a good distance beyond the family stables, to see what was needed in the way of materials and staffing.

The next morning, Marie and Lana went to the nearby city of Varshova, which was Krakovia's capital, with an escort and their one wagon to buy both food and cleaning supplies. A second trip was made after a hasty lunch to begin the process of hiring some help.

Lana and Marie had agreed on making all initial hires temporary ones, and telling them all that any permanent jobs would be given to the temporary hires who proved themselves as being most worthy. Marie had asked around a bit while they were shopping for supplies earlier and had discovered what the prevailing wage for house servants was. Lana had then authorized going higher than the prevailing wage to give them a shot at the best people.

After that first afternoon, the soldiers didn't do much more cleaning, because the twenty of them were primarily tasked with providing security for Lana, Marie, and the money chest, all three of which stayed in the same room at night, with two armed guards immediately outside the door, and two patrols of four circling the house. The other ten men were on duty during the daytime.

No one was looking forward to the arrival of the Baron and his additional seventy armored horsemen more than Lana's escort was. She figured they'd be worn to a frazzle by twelve hour days in full armor by the time they were relieved of their lonely duty.

Once Lana and Marie had hired a suitable number of employees, they brought them back to the manor house, where their first jobs were to clean their own sleeping quarters in the basement level. While Marie was overseeing that, Lana conferred with the knight in charge of the guards over how much grain and hay would be needed to stock the stables for their horses now, and then how much would be needed to stock the family stables and the much larger soldier's stables for when her father's party would arrive.

All in all, Lana and Marie had things well in hand, as Lana had no trouble working with a talented commoner like Marie on a virtually equal basis. Making the best use of the talents and knowledge of those around her was second nature to Lana, who rarely paid attention to things like rank and nobility, thus allowing her to achieve results others could not. But despite the satisfaction she derived from doing her work, Lana was looking forward to seeing her family again. After three weeks apart she was even beginning to miss Lois.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

First Meeting

Bruce's smaller column of travelers met up with Lord Lang's larger, slower column two days' ride short of Varshova. Clark was riding comfortably by then because Bruce had allowed him to take off the amulet a full week into their trip, as he figured the bruises had faded enough by then. He just told Clark to make sure he kept his clothes on until they reached their destination so no one could see he was bruise free.

The first meeting with Lord Lang had been polite, but neither he nor Bruce wanted to talk about his mission out in the open. That would wait for later, when they could achieve a modicum of privacy. Lord Lang _had_ raised an eyebrow upon seeing his eldest daughter without her usual short swords, but one look at her face let him know that explanation would have to wait also.

On the last day of their trip, with the manor almost in sight, and the long line of wagons, horses, and people strung out along the dusty road, Bruce looked across the wagon train and saw Lois. He spent a moment admiring her beauty before she felt someone looking and glared back at him. He politely dipped his head toward the lady, who replied by jerking her head back to the road in front of her.

"Pretty woman," Bruce said, to Clark, who was riding on his other side. "But lots of anger. I still say you should have let her apologize to you when we left the castle."

"She didn't mean it, so what was the point? If she's ever _truly_ sorry for what she did, I shall be glad to hear her apology."

"But that's not the point I was trying to make and you know it." Bruce looked around hastily to make sure no one was listening in. "There she was…a lady of the house, going so far as to humble herself in public to apologize and ask your forgiveness, which is more than I thought that old castellan could have gotten out of her, and you went and _added_ to her humiliation by refusing to hear her apology."

"It _is_ my right," Clark pointed out stiffly.

"Squire Clark is not in a position to let his pride rule his actions. Here, in this place, making that woman an enemy is dangerous. There are any number of men in her father's service who would consider seriously injuring you to be a badge of honor right now…especially the ones who did not see the beating you took from her."

"Good luck to them, I'd like to see them try."

Bruce led Clark off to one side of the traveling column, far enough that no one could hope to hear them.

"Damn it, _Squire,_ they'll either come after you while you're training, in which case you or I might have to kill someone to make it stop, or else they'll try to get you when you're out running errands and aren't wearing the amulet, in which case, your Kryptonian heritage will be revealed and your cover will be blown." Bruce gave Clark a glare that was reminiscent of one he had given on the day they first met. That gave Clark pause. "If that happens, we may have to leave here, even though I doubt Dru-Zod would try to send someone to kill you here, since doing so risks the anger of the grand duke and might bring him to actively support your father."

"The grand duke ought to be supporting father anyway," Clark said. "He sent his oldest son Harry to live with us for a year. Word has it he was interested in a possible match between Harry and my sister, and that sending him to us was just to see if they suited each other."

"Well…did they?"

"Mmm…not really. Harry and I got on famously, and he seemed to have fallen under Mara's spell like every other male over the age of twelve and under the age of ninety, but she didn't warm to him at all."

"Oh, that's too bad."

"Why?"

"I was hoping we could lean on that future connection in an emergency."

"Well, if it's a future connection you're looking for, it's a well-known fact that my father lusts for a marriage between Harry's older sister and myself. Mother's not quite so sure."

"Your mother scares me," Bruce admitted frankly.

"You're not the only one. She's all sweetness and light most of the time, just like Mara, but cross her at your peril."

"So that's where you get the temper from."

"Temper?" Clark scoffed. "You haven't even seen me _slightly_ angry yet. I'll have you know I've been on my best behavior ever since we left." Curious now, Clark asked, "Who told you I have a temper?"

"It was a big part of my briefing when I was given the job."

"Hmmph. Traitors," Clark said, with a good deal of humor. "I suppose they're right. I do have a hair trigger temper. Only Mara has never been the object of it."

"She's that sweet, huh?"

"Sir Bruce…men will be fighting for her hand like they fought for that of Helen of Troy in days of old."

Bruce chuckled. "I don't know much about ancient stories, but I do know how that one ended. A faithless wife, a thousand-ship armada, and a ten-year war of retribution."

"Well then, maybe _you_ should marry her. A ten-year war sounds like something you'd relish, and I know she'd be able to make you smile once or twice."

"And have you as my brother? God spare me. Anyway, back to you. Why is the king so hot about marrying you to some minor princess. The Grand Duchy is nice, but it's not your largest, wealthiest, or most powerful neighbor."

"Yes, but it's the only neighbor that has a _woman_ as its heir."

"You mean…?"

"Yes, Krakovia is too small to waste half of its best and brightest just because they were born women. They long ago dropped male primogeniture, and thus, because Princess Chloe is older than her brother, Prince Harold, she is the heir to her father's throne."

"Ah. That explains your father's interest in the marriage. If you marry the princess, your kingdom and her grand duchy will combine and be ruled as one kingdom by your offspring."

"True…but there are a lot of obstacles. Chief among them is trying to reconcile our way of doing things with their way."

"Sounds unlikely then."

"Maybe…in any case, just before Harry left to return home, I 'borrowed' my bank plate from my parents' rooms and then commissioned and paid for a huge emerald and pearl necklace. Harry took it home with him to give to his sister Chloe as a token of my esteem."

"Even though you've never met the girl."

"Exactly."

"I'll never understand the nobility, not if I live to be one-hundred."

The manor appeared in the distance, with one of the two mounted patrols raising the call once they saw the banner of the House of Lang flying proudly at the head of the column. Showing a golden tiger on a rich purple field, with the purple field then edged with a thick golden border, this particular banner was fresh and clean and had been brought out just for today's arrival.

Lord Lang rode ahead with his banner right behind and Alicia's carriage immediately behind. Once inside the extensive grounds of the manor, both Langs pulled out of the way and then turned to watch as their people entered and headed for the manor house beyond. The people with Lord Lang's column had been on the road for six weeks solid and were thoroughly tired of road dust, uncomfortable sleeping accommodations, and riding on either a horse or in a wagon.

Due to Alicia's unstinting efforts, the food had been plentiful and surprisingly decent for something on the road, which everyone in the party took pains to thank her for as they entered the manor's property and passed by her carriage. As on the road, Lord Lang stood back, this time allowing his youngest to bask in her just reward for completing the arduous, if not overly difficult task of feeding everyone.

Lana had been overseeing the cleaning of a last few chimneys when the patrol alerted her to her family's impending arrival. Even though she hadn't been doing the cleaning herself, she had gotten close enough to be coated with a fine layer of soot. As usual, she had dressed very plainly that morning and had just thrown her hair up in a messy bun because she thought the constant preening her social class tended to do was unnecessary for her as it just kept her away from the things she needed to be doing.

Lana raced to her father's side in time to see most of the wagon train pass by, and after a warm exchange of greetings, which included a hug between the dusty lord and his sooty daughter, she nodded toward her little sister, and said, "So I see Alicia was up to the task after all. I normally hate to say 'I told you so,' but not when there's money on the line. That's fifty gold Crowns you owe me."

"You were right, Lana, and I was wrong. I thought Alicia's nervous disposition would be her undoing, but once she had that first day under her belt, it was like she had been doing that job her entire life."

Lana looked up at her father who had dismounted from his horse, but still towered over her. "She's a _Lang,_ Father. That means she can do whatever job she needs to."

"I'm not so sure about that," Lewis said, as Lois finally rode by without looking at any of her family members even once. "I'm beginning to think your older sister has done something rash."

"Why do you say that?" Lana asked, and then she saw the empty sword sheathes and answered her own question. "Her swords! She never goes on a trip without them…_never! _I wonder if she crossed the new arms master."

"We'll find out soon, I'm sure."

Lana began standing on her toes and craning her neck as she looked for the infamous Dark Knight, but saw no one who matched her imaginings of what such a brutal man should look like. "Speaking of our gift from the king, Father, where _is_ he?"

Lord Lang looked about and located Bruce and Clark on the far side of the wagon train as they finally made their way onto the property. "Over there, Lana. Just riding in now."

Lana saw two men wearing half helms, chain mail, and other armor. One was larger and looked to be younger than the other, but it was hard to tell ages with the wagon train in the way and all that armor on. "Which one?"

"The smaller one, my dear."

"Who's the other one? Seems somewhat young for a knight."

"I wasn't introduced when Sir Bruce's party joined up with us, so I don't know the boy's name. But I've heard Sir Bruce has a squire, so that must be him."

Seeing his guard captain ride in, Lord Lang handed his reins over to Lana and asked her to see his horse got proper care. Lana, in turn, looked around for a stable boy, as this horse was intended for the first stall in the family stables. She wanted him to get fed, watered, and rubbed down as soon as possible.

Bruce and Clark dismounted, with each one holding the reins of two horses as they looked for someone who could tell them where to take the horses to be stabled. Neither one had any idea of who to look for here, so they kept a watch for anyone who might be in charge of handling horses.

Clark spotted a horse being led by a dirty young woman in a plain gray dress. He'd never heard of stable girls before, as he couldn't imagine wearing a dress for stable work, but he figured there was a first time for everything and trotted up to the young woman, pulling his horse and their packhorse behind.

"Hi," Clark said, "I wondered if you could help me a minute, Miss."

Lana stopped when she heard a warm, friendly voice. Looking up, she saw Sir Bruce's squire fast approaching. Since he'd ridden in a few minutes earlier, he had taken off his half helm, which gave her her first good look at his face.

Other than the filth from being on the road for three weeks, Lana had to admit he was handsome…very much so…in fact, the closer he got, the more handsome he became. Suddenly, Lana was embarrassed to be covered with filth herself. She didn't know this boy, didn't know if he even came from a good family, though she suspected he did, but nonetheless, she wanted to look nice for him, and failing that, wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

As Clark drew closer to the dirty stable girl in gray, he noticed she was rather pretty, and thought someone who looked that nice should be serving in the house. Realizing he had the girl's attention, Clark spoke again. "Since you're obviously going to the stables, would you be so kind as to take my horses, too? They're good horses and are both rather tired, so they won't give you any trouble."

Lana watched in dumbfounded amazement as the squire handed her his two sets of reins and walked off. She didn't know whether she wanted to cry for looking so bad or go over there, hand the squire all three sets of reins, and drag him along to the stables by his ear.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Second Chances

Figuring she might cry if she got anywhere near that squire again, Lana turned and walked the horses until she found an actual stable boy. She handed him the squire's two horses, told him the horses belonged to Sir Bruce's squire, and then instructed him to take them to the immense soldier's stables out behind the barracks.

Lana continued on to the family stables close by and handed off her father's horse to a waiting groomsman, with explicit instructions for its care, as it was her father's favorite horse.

The evening meal was at _least_ a couple of hours off, and while Lana hoped her newly hired kitchen help was up to assisting the newly arrived head cook and the few assistant cooks she had brought with her, she decided to leave that all up to the regular staff, who would probably be happy just to have regular facilities to work in from now on.

That left Lana with plenty of time to show a certain squire just who he was dealing with. She didn't normally go in for finery and messing with her hair, so when she commandeered a number of the servants to help her prepare for dinner, it sent mild shockwaves throughout the household.

The cooks were ordered to put a huge kettle of clean water on to heat up, and once it was reasonably warm, the chambermaids began carrying water up to Lana's room by the bucketful to fill the portable copper and wood tub that was sitting in the middle of the room.

Lana had spent the time waiting for the warm water having a couple of footmen bring her chests of clothing up to her room so she could root through them and find a suitable dress, underclothing, and shoes. The clothes were turned over to housekeeping to check for tears before taking a hot iron to it to straighten the creases and smooth out the wrinkles, and the elegant velvet slippers were brushed to remove any dust and to uniformly raise the nap.

Once the tub was properly filled, Lana disrobed with the help of a couple of chambermaids, who clucked at how filthy she had gotten her dress, and then tested the water before gingerly stepping into the warm water. As soon as both feet were in, she sat down and lifted her legs so the maids could clean them as high as they could while yet other maids washed her long, thick chestnut hair. Once the hair was washed and rinsed, and her legs had been cleaned as high up as the maids could reach before hitting the water, Lana stood so the rest of her could be scrubbed.

Marie, the head housekeeper, had appeared by this time to see what the commotion was all about. Seeing that Lady Lana was making a real effort at being a lady this evening, nothing would do but that she roll up her own sleeves and scrub Lana's back, bottom, and the backs of her legs down to the top of the water with a long-handled brush and some finely-milled perfumed soap until Lana's skin glowed with all the dewy freshness of springtime. Once her front side was equally clean, she stepped out of the tub and into a thick towel to be dried off while the maids dried her hair as much as possible by hand before using special curling irons, that had been sitting next to the fire to warm without getting too hot, to curl her hair.

Then came paints and powders on her face. Not much, as this wasn't a ball or a royal court appearance, but just enough to highlight her strengths and minimize whatever weaknesses she might have.

Next came her clothes. The maids thought Lana was so lucky to be slender enough that her corsets didn't require much in the way of whalebone stays. She also wore a linen shift and thigh-high stockings, among other undergarments, but the dress itself was so long that only her velvet slippers would ever be visible to anyone who saw her.

Not so with her top half, where the current style was a deep, square neckline to show plenty of skin from the neck down to the tops of a lady's breasts, and from shoulder to shoulder. Lana always claimed she didn't _have_ breasts, but was pleased to find that the dress and her time-consuming underclothes helped foster the illusion that she had more up top than was really the case.

The dress itself was a shimmering mossy green, a color her stepmother had once told her brought out the green in her hazel-colored eyes. The dress stayed close to her body until it reached her waist, and then it flared slightly until it reached her slipper tops. It wasn't her best dress, not even close, what with it having no seed pearls or intricate brocades or embroidery, but it was plenty of dress for this occasion.

Once Lana was ready, she was paraded in front of her maids, right to a long mirror. After she took a long look, she was thrilled with the effect, and clapped her hands excitedly before profusely thanking everyone she could see for their efforts.

After Lana left, all the servants cared to talk about was why their beloved Lady Lana had suddenly decided to dress the part. There had to be some reason, there had to be some_one_, but no one knew.

When Lana made her way down the hall to Alicia's room to show off a bit and to see if anyone else was ready, her little sister gasped with amazement, and then a truly pleased smile spread over her face. "Oh, Lana. You truly are beautiful when you try."

"Thank you, Alicia. I don't usually have any use for dressing up, but today…"

"What made you try today?"

"Someone mistook me for a stable girl today," Lana admitted ruefully. "Hearing that hurt more than it should have, but tonight, I intend to set that young man straight."

"Well…you were kind of dirty, Lana, and you were dressed rather plainly, so I can see the mistake. But yeah, if someone said that to me, I'd just about die from shame." She eyed her older sister one more time. "If this look doesn't get this guy on the right track, then nothing will." Alicia's eyes narrowed all of a sudden. "Speaking of which, who _is _this guy you're dressing up for? Is he cute? Have we been introduced yet?"

_Leave it to Alicia to figure out there is a man involved, _Lana thought. _I swear that girl has read every romance story in father's entire library._

"Taking those in order: question one, I'm not telling you, question two, he's _very_ handsome, and question three, we haven't been introduced yet, though I assume Lois has."

Once Alicia's servants were done readying her for dinner, the two young women went in search of their oldest sister, who they expected to be ready and waiting with their father. They learned from a servant that she_ was_ with their father, but that the two were having a heated discussion in the room Lord Lang had claimed for his library. Not eager to be anywhere _near _that argument, the two younger Lang women waited in a drawing room several rooms away and hoped Lois and their father wouldn't be too long.

Back when Lana was beginning the lengthy process of making herself presentable for dinner, Clark and Bruce were somewhat more pressed for time. Clark had just brought up a bucket of water for Bruce and one for himself, when a servant arrived to tell Bruce that Lord Lang would like a private interview in his library at Bruce's earliest convenience. Bruce correctly took that to mean 'as soon as possible,' so Clark used his heat vision to raise the temperature of the water in Bruce's bucket for washing, and then both men stripped and used their buckets and the small cakes of harsh lye-based soap they had been provided with, and set about scrubbing themselves clean.

Halfway through their ablutions, there was a firm knock at the door to Bruce's room. Each man looked at the other, before Clark set down his soap and other cleaning supplies and headed for the door. "Who is it?" he asked, even as he used his x-ray vision to see that it appeared to be two reasonably pretty servant girls. When he whispered that to Bruce, the girls took that moment to announce they were from housekeeping and they were there to help Sir Bruce and his squire prepare for dinner.

Confused, Bruce looked at Clark as if to say 'I didn't ask for anything.'

Clark just rolled his eyes at the master warrior and wondered if he knew about _any_thing when it came to living in this sort of situation. "Just a minute, Girls," Clark called out, before walking over to Bruce to explain. "These girls weren't sent here to help us, though they probably will if we let them. They just want to get their sweaty little hands on your body."

"What about you?" Bruce asked.

"Nah…I'm a nobody…but _you_ have a famous name and a bloody reputation. Mother always said there are a lot of women who are drawn to that kind of man. She said they find being with him exciting and a little bit dangerous." Clark pointed back to the door. "Want me to let them in?"

Bruce looked like he was seriously considering it for a moment, but then he smiled and said, "Chase 'em off, if you please, Squire."

Clark bowed slightly. "As you say, Sir Bruce."

When Clark returned to the door, he told the young women, without ever opening the door, that they didn't want any help. When the girls persisted, Clark told them he knew they hadn't been sent and that he'd tell the head housekeeper about them if they didn't leave at once. _That _scared the young women, who were scurrying down the hall before Clark could return to washing.

Bruce looked at Clark, and saw he was smiling as he began to finish washing. "What?" Bruce asked irritably.

"Oh nothing. Just that those girls may start telling people we prefer boys, or each other, to women since we didn't even take a look at them before sending them away."

"You're kidding."

"I wish I was, but stories have a life of their own in palaces and castles of any size."

The two men were quiet for a moment, and then Bruce asked, "You take a look at 'em through the door?"

"Yeah."

"Were they cute?"

"Not bad," Clark replied.

"Damn. It's been a long time."

"Since you've had a woman?" Clark asked, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"No, since I've had two women at once."

Clark couldn't quite tell if Bruce was serious or was just giving him a hard time, but he wasn't about to ask and advertise his ignorance. Instead, he helped Bruce dress in his one sharp outfit, a scarlet and gold military jacket and black uniform trousers from his last posting with the Royal Mountaineers, which was a small but highly select army unit that was charged with keeping the mountain passes relatively easy to travel, and free of bandits. A great deal of his savage reputation came from his three years in the mountains.

Clark's last duty was to clean Bruce's boots, something he did with super-speed, before using that speed and a somewhat iffy looking buffing cloth to put a parade ground gleam on those boots. He then had scant time to make sure his second set of clothes was passably clean, before cleaning his own boots, dressing, and following his knight out of their room.

Once they had been directed to the correct room on the third floor, Bruce and Clark heard what sounded like a heated discussion going on between Lord Lang and his eldest daughter. Unsure of how long this could take, both men settled in, as they would need to wait on the pleasure of Lord Lang.

They didn't need to wait long, as Lord Lang came bursting out of his library looking like he wanted to break something, or someone, in half. Seeing Bruce standing there patiently stopped Lord Lang in his tracks.

"I'm sorry, Sir Bruce, but if you don't mind, I need to postpone our meeting until after dinner. As you may have heard, I'm currently dealing with a rather contentious matter right now." Lord Lang then saw Clark trying to make his large size disappear. "Ah, Squire Clark. I understand from the letter I just received from my castellan that you are the chivalrous young man who took a horrendous beating instead of striking my eldest."

"Yes, your Lordship."

"I thank you for your consideration, Squire, but the next time Sir Bruce orders you to thrash my daughter while she's pretending to be a man, swallow your fine upbringing and _do it. _It may save us all a lot of headaches in the future."

Clark looked uncertainly from one man to the other, and Bruce turned to Lord Lang and said, "He may not be _able_ to do it, your Lordship. I think he's spent his whole life wanting to be the kind of knight that only exists in romances told by troubadours."

Lord Lang heard Lois start up again, bringing up an old argument from years ago. "Please excuse me, Sir Bruce, it appears my daughter is not done with me yet."

Bruce and Clark left the library and headed down to the great hall, which was on the first floor and was arranged for dinner with a long head table across the front of the room with individual chairs at each seat, and then longer tables that ran the length of the room perpendicular to the head table. These two tables had long benches beneath them for seating. _Taken together, _Clark thought, _they look like the letter U._

The dining tables were already starting to fill, and while there was no food set out yet, there were pitchers of warm ale and watered wine for the assembled diners to drink as they mingled and talked.

Bruce was up on one end of the head table as he was essentially one of Lord Lang's officers now. Clark, as he had expected, was seated down near the end of one of the other tables with the soldiers. Each of the perpendicular tables was seating people on both sides to allow them to have the needed capacity.

The rumble of conversation ceased though, the moment the double doors in the back of the room opened, and the Lang family entered the room. Anyone already seated stood, and those already standing stopped what they were doing to face Lord Lang and his daughters as they took the central seats at the head table.

As Lord Lang sat, so did everyone else. Clark was too far away from the head table to make out _too_ much detail as he was being careful to not use his powers in public so he wouldn't give anything away by doing or seeing or hearing something that he shouldn't be able to do.

He saw Lord Lang, after a hasty change into something clean once he was done with the argument in the library. There appeared to be an empty place setting where Lady Lois might be expected to sit, and he saw the Lady Alicia, who he'd seen from time to time after their small party had joined up with Lord Lang's wagon train. He thought Lady Alicia was considerably more beautiful than her sister Lois, even though there was supposed to be a four year difference in age between the two, but she was nothing special according to court standards.

Clark had tried to explain this to Bruce one day on their journey to Lord Lang's Roskilde Castle. They'd seen a pretty girl in a tavern they'd stopped in along the way. Bruce had called her gorgeous, while Clark had allowed that she was okay. Bruce had instantly called Clark an elitist snob, and Clark had responded by telling him that every noble house, all across the kingdom, sent their most beautiful, most talented, most charming daughters to the capital. The crème de la crème joined his sister's ladies in waiting, while the rest stayed at their family's mansions in town so they could join the winter social season and find suitable husbands. Clark had finished by saying that since he was used to seeing the kingdom's best on a daily basis, he ought to be given some slack for having a higher standard of beauty.

None of this, however, applied to the stunningly gorgeous young woman that had just taken her seat. She _had_ to be the heretofore unseen Lady Lana. Clark stared at her with slack-jawed amazement, almost forgetting to take his own seat, as he studied her silken chestnut curls, glowing complexion, gleaming teeth, and the admirable expanse of creamy skin she was showing with her square neckline.

Still, what meant the most physically to Clark had always been a woman's eyes. Some poet or philosopher had label them as 'windows to the soul.' Clark had always found that phrase overly dramatic but essentially accurate, so he waited to see her eyes, as right now they seemed to be occupied by searching the room for someone.

It was only when she finally turned her eyes on him that he realized he had seen her before. Her eyebrows lifted a little, as if to say 'how do you like me now?' while Clark's heart sank into his boots. Crestfallen was an understatement when used to describe the way he felt at that moment. It was bad enough that he'd had trouble with the obnoxious eldest daughter of the family, now he'd treated the second daughter like a lowly stable girl, which not only was a gross insult for a person of her rank, but also a gross insult for a woman of her beauty.

Lana, on the other hand, was delighted when she saw the way the squire reacted when he realized who she was. It made a couple of hours being manhandled by the servants worthwhile. She planned to spend the rest of the meal watching the boy and making him as uncomfortable as she could. _This is going to be fun!_ Lana thought.

Clark, however, had come to a decision. There was only one way to make up for his mistake, no matter how understandable it might have been. He needed to make an apology, and he needed to do it now, before his resolve failed him. Clark stood, walked around the end of his table, and walked up the open space in the middle to approach Lord Lang. He used his knowledge of court etiquette to stop at the proper distance and wait for Lord Lang to officially recognize him and signal him forward.

Once that signal came, Clark stepped forward, wondering what to say by way of apology. First he'd have to talk to Lord Lang, and then he'd have to beg for Lady Lana's forgiveness. _Here goes nothing!_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Apology

"Squire…_Clark,_ I believe?" Lord Lang asked.

Clark bowed low and then rose. "Yes, your Lordship."

Bruce was almost bug-eyed as he couldn't imagine what Clark was doing now. All he knew was Clark talking to Lord Lang before their after dinner private discussion could _not_ be good.

Lord Lang eyed Clark's clothing more carefully, and then gave Bruce a steely glare. "Sir Bruce? It would behoove you to find your squire more appropriate attire for the evening meal and for more formal events. I assume this is the best he has, as it is scrupulously clean, therefore the fault is yours. Talk to my daughter Alicia tomorrow, and she'll set you up with my household tailor."

"Yes, milord." Bruce had no option but to agree, but he glowered at Clark for getting him in even this small amount of hot water on their first day here.

"Now," Lord Lang said, as he returned his focus to Clark, "what do you have that needs my attention? You're a new addition to my household, so I will make some allowance, but know now that while I don't mind dealing with genuine problems, I despise having my time wasted."

Clark's eyes flitted over to Lana very briefly, and then returned to her father. Even in that small moment, Clark was struck by how much more attractive she was up close, and he knew it was because now he could see her eyes, her 'windows to the soul.' _Hazel…her eyes are hazel._ _Big, round, hazel…and completely beautiful._

"Thank you, your Lordship, for your generous consideration. I'm in front of you now because I made a hasty mistake today and made an assumption which caused me to insult one of your daughters."

When Bruce heard that, his face sank into his hands, as he wondered what Clark could have done to _this_ daughter of the house. _The boy had barely had the __**time**__ to insult her, _Bruce thought._ Does he have his insults planned so well now that he can squeeze them into a tight schedule?_

"It's beginning to sound like you intend to insult my entire family, Squire." Clark was cautious, as Lord Lang's words sounded dangerous, but his tone of voice didn't. "First you refuse to hear my eldest daughter's apology for her admittedly…_inexplicable_ actions, and now you say you've insulted another of my girls. Which one, might I ask, and how?"

"The Lady Lana."

Lord Lang looked over to his middle child, who nodded slightly in affirmation, but didn't appear to be angry.

"As for how," Clark took a deep breath and then let half of it back out, "I treated her like a stable girl this afternoon upon our arrival by handing her my two horses and asking her to see that they were taken care of properly." Clark turned his eyes full upon Lana for the first time, steeling himself against the sensation of being overwhelmed by her beauty. "I'm here to make amends, as best I can, by offering her my sincerest apology."

Bruce, who'd been dying a slow death inside ever since learning his charge had struck again, was listening intently now, hoping Clark's apology would be enough.

"Well, Lana," Lord Lang asked, "what do you think? Are you willing to accept his apology? Or should I just assign him some extra labor for punishment?"

"I don't know, Father," Lana said, "I rather think that depends on the quality of the apology."

Lord Lang gestured to Clark, who immediately dropped to both knees, careful to do so slowly for fear of cracking the stone flooring. Clark's jade green eyes latched onto Lana's hazel ones and they locked. From that moment, no one else existed for either one of them.

"I'm sorry, Lady Lana. I should have asked your station instead of assuming I knew. The insult was completely unintentional." Lana saw Clark's eyes were earnest, pleading with her to understand and to forgive. "I'd like to be able to claim mitigating circumstances, but the truth is I could have avoided the problem by taking a little more care. I'm truly sorry, and I hope you'll accept my humblest apology."

If Lana knew who Clark really was, she'd have some idea of how unused to apologizing he really was. Crown Prince Kal rarely had to apologize to anyone for any reason, and yet, here he was humbling himself before her.

But Lana didn't need to know who Clark really was. To her, Clark was just a seemingly nice, sincere guy who'd made an easy to make mistake, and who'd been extremely brave to step up and apologize the second he realized his error instead of waiting until later, when there would be fewer witnesses around.

Lana liked Clark's seeming sincerity, but _loved_ the guts it had taken for him to approach her father like this. She knew her father could be difficult, and he'd definitely been unhappy when he'd come in here. She assumed that had something to do with why Lois wasn't here, but she'd leave that sleeping dog alone for now.

"Your apology is accepted, Squire Clark," Lana said warmly. "I know what I looked like this afternoon and realize just how easy it would have been to think I was a stable girl…especially since I was already leading my father's horse."

Pleased that whatever tiny damage that had been done to his daughter's honor had been repaired, Lord Lang dismissed Clark with a wave, and the kitchen servants began bringing out the food. This first dinner in the manor was somewhat smaller and less varied than what Lord Lang's kitchen staff usually provided, as they hadn't had the time necessary to prepare a full meal the way they usually did.

Clark still ate heartily, pleased to be able to down an adequate amount of food for the first time since they'd left Roskilde Castle. Bruce ate like a man with indigestion, however, after just having watched his life pass before his eyes. He'd been afraid Clark had goosed the poor girl or something, and had been relieved to learn how minor the supposed transgression had been.

The one thing Bruce noticed during Clark's apology, that he was sure no one else in the dining hall had noticed due to their unfamiliarity with Clark, was the way he had looked at Lady Lana. He'd bet a year's pay that Clark had found a woman whose beauty had impressed even a jaded observer of the comings and going at the royal court like himself. He couldn't wait to needle the squire about that little tidbit.

Lord Lang had noticed the look between Lana and Clark also, but his focus had been on his daughter. Seeing her react so positively to a young man, in what to him was an obvious fashion, made him want to ask Sir Bruce what family the squire belonged to. While he was _most _conscious of Lois' need to marry and do it quickly due to her age, he was also keeping an eye out for marriage prospects for his other daughters. With no sons to inherit the Barony after his death, Lord Lang needed to find suitable marriages for all three, or else hope one of his girls would somehow attract a big match, which would give the other girls some security, while also improving their chances of making good matches themselves.

After Lord Lang and his two daughters left the dining room at the end of the meal, Bruce made his way down the table to Clark and collected him so they could meet up with Lord Lang in his library for their along-awaited talk. They got there well ahead of their host, giving Bruce the chance to give Clark some last minute instruction.

"Can you do what your mother did in the throne room?" Bruce asked.

"You mean cast a sound barrier?"

"Yeah."

"Easily. Just tell me what area you want soundproofed. I kind of have to visualize the area while I say the key word or words to trigger the general spell type."

"In that case," Bruce said, "I want you to soundproof the inside of this library room once we're inside with Lord Lang. There are some things we need to talk about that no one else needs to hear."

"Okay," Clark replied. "Once we're inside, give me a few seconds to convert my energy, and I'll be ready."

Lord Lang showed up a few minutes later, mumbling to himself about needing a woman to deal with daughters as he entered the room and beckoned the two waiting men to follow him in.

Clark immediately began the process of shifting his solar energy and within seconds was ready, softly muttering, "Silentium" as he pictured the entire library being screened from eavesdroppers.

Lord Lang was across the room, just setting himself down in the only chair and far too focused on his problems to notice the faint purple glow on Clark that accompanied the spell. When Bruce and Clark drew near, Lord Lang looked up and said, "Now, Sir Bruce, it's finally time I learn exactly what is going on here and what his Majesty requires of me."

"What has he told you so far, your Lordship?" Bruce asked.

"His one letter ordered me to establish a residence in or around Varshova on or before Crown Prince Kal-El's nineteenth birthday…that's not for two more days, so we've done it." Lord Lang leaned forward. "He also said you would have further instructions for me once you joined us here."

Bruce reached inside his scarlet and gold jacket and pulled out a thin, brown leather wallet, opened it, and handed the folded sheet of parchment inside to Lord Lang. Unfolding the parchment, Lord Lang read it and then studied the seal at the bottom before setting the parchment down on his lap.

"I'm to try and convince Grand Duke Charles to support the king if it comes down to a rebellion?" Lord Lang stood, taking the parchment with him, as he began to pace back and forth. "How in God's name am I supposed to do that? What do I have to negotiate with?"

Bruce just looked at Lord Lang while surreptitiously pointing at Clark. Clark saw him, however, and said, "Not funny, Sir Bruce."

"Who's laughing, Squire?" Bruce retorted.

Lord Lang hadn't heard specifics, but he knew something was going on and asked Bruce if there was something he needed to hear. Bruce eyed Clark briefly, then cleared his throat and said, "Actually, your Lordship, there is something more. That mission you just read about is real enough, but it's mostly a cover for your _real_ mission."

Curious, Lord Lang stopped pacing, and turned his full attention on Bruce. "And that is…?"

Bruce tilted his head toward Clark. "Him."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The Mission

"Him? Why a…wait. Squire, how old are you?"

"I'll be nineteen, milord…in only two more days."

Lord Lang hadn't been selected for this mission merely because he was loyal. His intelligence had been just as important. Thus, he needed no more help to realize who he was dealing with. All the blood drained from Lord Lang's face, as he sank to one knee in front of the squire, and bowed his head.

Clark became Kal for a short time and his' voice changed suddenly, becoming sharper, stronger, more commanding. "Rise, Lord Lang."

As Lord Lang struggled to his feet, Kal turned to Bruce, and said, "Make the introduction."

"Your Highness, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you Lord Lewis Lang, Baron of Roskilde." Bruce turned to Lord Lang. "Milord, I am pleased to introduce you to Prince Kal-El, Crown Prince of Alemannia, and Duke of Borussia."

"Prince Kal-El has been entrusted to my immediate care," Bruce said, "but I thought it important one other person know exactly who he is in case something should happen to me. Keeping him alive and out of the hands of Dru-Zod's men is vital."

"Thanks for making me sound _completely_ helpless, Sir Bruce," Kal said, as he grinned.

"You know you have my complete cooperation, Sir Bruce," Lord Lang said. "Anything you need…"

"…I'll be sure to ask for, don't worry about that. The king, and even more so the queen, made it quite clear that bringing their son back in anything less than the condition he left in would cost me dearly."

"So…what am I to do with him? I can't give him any special notice like I would a visiting prince."

"Since 'Squire Clark' and I have been traveling virtually non-stop ever since he became my squire, he hasn't really had the opportunity to experience the full breadth of a squire's duties. Therefore I am making him available for service throughout your household. I already use him somewhat as a personal servant, but feel free to assign him to various duties throughout the manor.

Bruce looked directly at Clark, who was obviously reduced to the state of being a squire once more, and said, "At the very least, he should be able to develop an appreciation for what the servants go through to provide Prince Kal-El with the comforts he takes for granted when he's at home."

Bruce looked back at Lord Lang. "My only requirement is that he be free for his early morning and late afternoon training sessions with me in the waryard."

"In that case, Squire Clark," Lord Lang said. "Report to the head housekeeper tomorrow after your morning practice. I'll inform her you are coming and she'll put you to work."

"Yes, milord," Clark said. Bruce then dismissed him and sent him to their room to prepare it for sleep. The day had been long, and Bruce intended to be up early the next morning, for besides training Clark, he had to take over his new duties training the one-hundred-and-ten knights and soldiers that were now gathered here. He consoled himself with the knowledge that he didn't have to set the watch schedules or devise the patrol patterns for the security of the manor. That chore would be up to Lord Lang's guard captain.

Once Clark was gone, Lord Lang waited long enough to assure himself the young man wasn't coming back, before saying, "Sir Bruce. We have a small problem."

"Yes, milord?"

"I noticed my daughter Lana…well, seems to be _taken_ with Squire Clark."

"Really?" Bruce asked. "I noticed the same thing about him as relates to her. The way he looked at Lady Lana as he apologized let me know he's interested."

"Now normally, as a father who has three daughters to marry off, I'd be thrilled that a chivalrous young man from a noble family had taken an interest in one of my girls." Lord Lang gave Bruce a grim look. "But this is anything but normal. The kingdom's on the edge of open rebellion, and the royal children are some of his Majesty's best bargaining chips went it comes to strengthening old alliances or forging new ones. The king will _not_ be pleased if I should allow my daughter and his son to form an attachment that might make an arranged marriage more difficult to complete."

"I was told that Prince Kal-El believes his father wants him to marry Grand Duke Charles' daughter, Princess Chloe."

"And well he should!" Lord Lang replied. "The eventual combination of the two lands that would be created by such a union has been a dream of the Kings of Alemannia long before the Kryptonians ever set foot on this planet. It would lead to greater strength and security for both lands, as well as increased prosperity for merchants on both sides of the old border, as various tariffs no longer apply to them.

"With all the good that would come from a union of Krakovia and Alemannia, how could I possibly place more importance on the _chance_ one of my daughters might be happy with that young man? I can't do it, can't allow it to happen, and if it _did_ happen, the king would be well within his rights to take both title and lands away from me.

"For the sake of the kingdom, and for my family's own selfish purposes, we have to keep my Lana away from Squire Clark."

"How encompassing do you think that prohibition needs to be?"

"I was a teenager once myself. I remember the way passion seemed to flow through my veins like the richest blood, until I couldn't stand it anymore…the prohibition needs to be as absolute as I can make it. No contact whatsoever."

"Looks like Clark will get out of serving at table then. Which is too bad really. I was looking forward to watching him bring food and wine to his assigned persons without he himself being able to eat."

Lana, meanwhile, had gone to see the guard captain to make sure his men all had adequate bedding in the barracks, before she turned in for the night. Thus it was that she was making her way to the family wing of the manor, while Clark was on his way to Bruce's room at the other end of the manor, when the two of them collided as they tried to round the same corner in opposite directions at the same time.

Lana's nose smacked into something solid as her entire body was brought to a screeching halt before rebounding backward. Clark, being Kryptonian, didn't feel much, but his reactions were lightning fast, as his arms snaked out to grab onto whoever he'd just run into before she could fall to the ground. It was only when he held his victim securely in his arms that he looked down and realized it was Lady Lana. Torn between his need to release the lady and step back before anyone saw them in a clinch, and his desire to hold on to her softness and warmth just a bit longer, Clark compromised and slowly but regretfully released her, but didn't back off.

Lana was thankful she'd been saved from an unceremonious landing on her backside, and looked up just as Clark let go. Afraid of saying anything for fear of breaking the spell and making the squire run off, Lana bit her lower lip as she continued to look at him. _See how much larger he looks from this close, _Lana thought. _And yet, for all his size, his hands felt as soft and gentle as his lips look._

Realizing what she was thinking, Lana flushed a brilliant red and muttered a hurried apology for being so clumsy and ran off, leaving a confused Clark in her wake. Unsure of what to do, but positive that chasing after a lady of the house was not on the short list of good ideas for a lowly squire, Clark shrugged his shoulders and trudged off to straighten up Bruce's bedroom and then make sure his little pallet was ready for himself.

Alicia was waiting for Lana in her bedroom when the little brunette dynamo came charging in and slammed the door shut and locked it, as if Clark's kissable lips had somehow chased her down the halls, up the stairs to her room, and would come charging in behind to ravage her if she didn't.

"What in the world is the matter with you?" Alicia asked. "You look like you saw a ghost or something."

Realizing for the first time that she was not alone, Lana tried to bring her breathing under control as she walked over to join her sister on the edge of her bed.

"Oh…nothing's wrong," Lana said.

"Liar," Alicia replied, which in this case was only stating the obvious. "What's going on?"

Lana looked at Alicia and wondered just how far she could be trusted, before deciding to tell her. "Tonight, for the very first time, I wanted to kiss a boy. And by that I mean a _specific_ boy; not just a nameless, faceless shadow from a daydream, but a real, live person."

Alicia clapped her hands happily, as if she'd been waiting years for this announcement. "Well, it's about time! _I_ only seem to want to kiss boys on days that end in 'Y.'"

"_You_ want to kiss far too many boys, Alicia. Be careful about that. It's the sort of thing that leads to trouble."

"Oh, I know that. I didn't say I was going to kiss any of them, just that I _wanted_ to…like that dreamy Squire Clark who was so handsome and earnest when he apologized to you tonight."

When Lana heard her sister mention Clark's name, she tensed up and came close to telling her to keep her mitts off of him, before she remembered neither one of them could have him unless and until they found out he was from an acceptable family.

"Was Squire Clark what you came in here to talk about?" Lana asked irritably.

"No, actually. I heard from my chambermaid who heard from another maid who heard from someone who just happened to be passing by the library when father was in there with Lois."

"So?"

"So?!" Alicia leaned in conspiratorially. "Apparently their argument reached the boil over point for Father and he turned Lois over his knee and spanked her until she couldn't sit." Sitting back triumphantly, Alicia added, "_That's_ why Lois missed the meal."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Watchers

Bruce entered the bedroom not too long after Clark got there, to find that Clark had already completed preparations for sleep, and was staring out the room's one small glass window.

"So…how're you going to insult the Lady Alicia, Squire?"

Preoccupied with thoughts of another Lang daughter, Clark half turned toward Bruce, and said, "What?"

"Well…the way I've got it figured, you've already insulted Lord Lang's eldest daughters, so why not go for the clean sweep and make everyone here hate you?"

Bruce had Clark's full attention now. "Lady Lois deserved whatever insult she felt, and nothing will make me think any differently on that subject. She only tried to apologize because the castellan forced her to; had she meant it, I would have listened to her and accepted the apology.

"Lady Lana…" Clark sighed heavily, and Bruce snickered.

"What the Hell was that, Clark? You sounded like a girl." Just the way Clark had said Lana's name reinforced the idea that Clark had it bad for the admittedly stunning Lady Lana Lang.

Clark shot Bruce a look that hinted he was taking risks he didn't need to be taking, and continued with what he'd been trying to say. "Lady _Lana _was completely different. _Is _completely different."

"How do you know that, Clark? You've barely had time to do anything more than insult the girl."

"But did you hear how she accepted my apology? With a graceful ease. She even had the class to admit it was partly her fault, even after I tried to take all the blame for myself."

"Beauty, grace, a hard-worker…" Clark shook his head, "…a man could do worse."

Bruce decided he'd better try to head this off before it got worse. He knew there was no way King Jor-El would even consider letting the boy marry Lady Lana. True, her father was a noble, but one of the most minor sort. And he'd only marry the prince to a homegrown noble in the first place if he couldn't find a foreign power which would want to forge closer ties with Alemannia by sending a royal daughter to be Prince Kal's bride.

Bruce supposed once Kal married he could choose to have a mistress, maybe even a handful of mistresses, as it had been a royal prerogative throughout Alemanni history. What he didn't know was if this prince would be the type to want a mistress, or if this lady was the type to be inclined to _be_ a mistress.

Bruce realized however that worked out, it was far in the future and thus not his problem. He also realized that Lord Lang's wish to keep his daughter away from Clark wasn't his problem either. His one and only problem was to keep Clark alive and out of Dru-Zod's hands, and if he could manage to teach the boy a few things along the way, so much the better.

_Lord Lang, _Bruce thought, _when it comes to keeping Clark and Lady Lana apart, you're on your own. I'm not going to help them, but I'm not going to stop them. Still, I'd better give the boy a warning._

"A word of wisdom regarding Lady Lana, Clark."

"Hmm?"

"Her father is dead set against any sort of match between you two, for reasons that make a lot of sense. He's afraid of what the king might do should a romance blossom that interferes with any possible match he might make for you, especially now that your marriage could be vital to securing a needed alliance.

"So…before you go off and start singing under the lady's balcony or start reciting bad poetry, keep in mind that your host is risking much to keep you hidden out here. You might not want to repay his loyalty by going after his daughter."

"You've obviously never heard me sing," Clark said dryly, as he tried to joke away the realization that Bruce was right. "And the only poetry I've had time for is the harsh tone of Sir Emmerich's bark paced by the steady meter of sword on shield. I can speak four languages as if I was born to it, but all the words I've studied are trade laws, treaty stipulations, and diplomatic niceties.

"I _can_ dance, in fact I do it very well, but 'Squire Clark' will never get to show _that _to Lady Lana.

Clark shrugged his shoulders and turned back the lone window. "As much as I sense there's something special about that young woman, I should really leave her alone. Not so much because of her father's loyalty, but because of the lady herself.

"When it comes right down to it, what do I really have to offer a woman? My position and wealth are a result of my birth, nothing more, and _those_ will go to the woman my father chooses for me, not to any woman I might love.

"And once I marry, all else that I am will belong to my wife, too. For when I stand before the altar in the cathedral and swear to 'love, honor, and cherish,' I mean to give it my all: to learn to love the woman I've likely just met days before the ceremony, to honor her as my wife and the mother of my children deserves, and to cherish what she brings to our union, instead of dwelling on what she does not."

"No mistresses?" Bruce asked, though by now the answer was painfully clear.

"None. I'm nothing if not a man of my word. So all we could have together is this short time here, and then Father will sell me off and both Lana and I will have to start all over again with someone new."

Bruce thought of something he'd heard once, a very long time ago, from a woman who lived still in his memory. She had been on her deathbed, and both of them knew it. A newly-minted Sir Bruce was trying to be her strength during her last hours, but he'd ended up leaning on her instead. And as he lamented her imminent passing and the end of all they'd meant to each other, she'd looked up and stroked the side of his face, and said softly, 'It is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.'

"What was that, Sir Bruce?" Clark asked.

Bruce realized he must have said that out loud, and blanched. That was a part of him that stayed locked away where no one could see it, where no _woman_ could ever find it, and hurt him thus again. That door slammed shut with finality, and Bruce glowered at Clark, telling him it was time for sleep as they had a busy day ahead of them.

The next day was busy for everyone. The household servants spent all day unloading wagon after wagon of supplies, furniture, clothing, and other belongings and then lugging them into the house under the watchful eyes of Marie the head housekeeper, and all three girls.

Clark's day started with more hand-to-hand training with Bruce, and once he was done with breakfast, he found Marie and being mindful of Lord Lang's hurried instructions regarding Squire Clark and Lady Lana, she assigned him to work with the servants who were thoroughly cleaning almost six weeks of road grime from Lord Lang's best carriage, as he hoped it would be needed the next day.

Lord Lang had sent a liveried messenger to the grand ducal palace in Varshova to announce his arrival in the grand duchy and to ask for a brief audience to pay a courtesy call just long enough for official introductions. He wondered briefly if he should also send a note to the Alemanni ambassador, who if Lord Lang remembered correctly, was Lord Eduard Pierzynski, Count of Ellsinore. Figuring it would do no harm, and might help at some point, Lord Lang decided he and his family would pay a courtesy call at the ambassador's home on the way back from the palace…should they receive an invitation to the palace in the first place.

By the time Clark was ready for his evening weapons practice, his filth made Lady Lana's soot-coated appearance from the day before look like the height of cleanliness. Bruce nearly couldn't stop laughing when he saw how thoroughly dirty Clark was.

"No need to ask how your first day of service went," Bruce chortled.

"What about your day, Sir Bruce?" Clark asked, as he slipped on the training amulet and then a few pieces of armor.

"There are too many soldiers for me to train all at once, so I have to break them up into smaller groups and train them an hour or two at a time. It looks like it will be, at least at first, an all day process."

As the two men grabbed blunted practice swords and began to work together, Clanging their swords together as they moved back and forth in what some refer to as "the dance of the swords," they had an audience for a brief amount of time.

Lady Lois watched intently, admiring their sword work, and hoping Sir Bruce might slip a few painful shots past Clark's guard. She wished she could be out there learning with them, but after yesterday's 'discussion' with her father, Lois suspected her days wielding swords were over. She knew his threat to find a dancing master to help her freshen up her knowledge of the currently fashionable dances was not an idle one.

Lana was also watching, but from a different window on a different floor. She had managed to catch brief glimpses of the squire during the day, and had been impressed to find him working as hard as any of the servants on cleaning the carriage. She'd overheard a couple of her father's soldiers talking about Clark's morning's workout with Sir Bruce, and was curious to see how he'd fare in his late afternoon workout after a full day of scrubbing.

Lana knew little about swordplay, nor did she want to, but she watched them nonetheless, wincing each time either man was struck, but doing so a little harder when the injured party was her Clark. _Not my Clark, damn it! He's just a squire, Lana. Get that into your thick skull now._

By the time Lana had to stop watching the men and go on to get ready for the evening meal, she'd been sure both men would be bruised once they were done, and she'd been duly impressed by Squire Clark's stamina. _It seems like that bull of a man can go all day._

Even the Lady Alicia had managed to sneak a look at the cute squire. She was disappointed to find they were working out too far away from the manor for her to see individual body parts, like the cute butt and the sharply chiseled arms she'd seen earlier in the day as he'd worked on the carriage.

Still, she could recall what she'd seen and imagine those strong arms wrapped around her, just like the main couple in one of her father's books. She was smart enough to know she couldn't tell anyone though, or the squire would spend his days cleaning out the soldiers' stables far out back, where she'd never see him again.

All she wanted was a chance with Clark. She already knew that as the third daughter of a minor lord, her chances of making a good marriage were slim, at_ best,_ so she was determined to find a decent marriage with someone she could actually love. Squire Clark looked like her first good candidate.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Change of Plans

Zod's original plan had been elegant in its simplicity. Not one-hundred percent sure whether the King's Legion was completely loyal to him or to the king, he had planned to use them only to block off all access to the summer palace, and then use his own Walachian troops, and the troops of his closest allies, to move in on the palace itself.

Once they'd overcome the expected stiff resistance from the king's household guards and had the royal family safely in hand, the king and prince would have been quietly and privately executed, as Zod couldn't have afforded a rival claimant to the throne coming back to haunt him years later. The queen's good behavior would be purchased with a not-too-subtle threat against the princess' life. Zod had then planned on declaring himself Lord Protector of Alemannia, and after a suitable period of time, marrying the Princess Mara and declaring himself king.

But when he called his battle staff into session, their opinions upon hearing of the disappearances of the prince and princess were unanimous: the king and queen knew what was coming and would be on the move themselves before any of Zod's forces could reach the summer palace.

The idea of a quick and almost bloodless palace coup was gone. What was going to replace it was some sort of civil war. Most important now for Zod was mobilizing his forces and getting them into the field as a cohesive unit to overawe the nobles who hadn't made up their minds to fight for the king, and to overwhelm the ones who had, piece by piece, before they could link up and form an effective resistance.

His army had moved in an attempt at cutting off the king and queen from their strongest support base, which was in the kingdom's far south, but Zod expected the royals to get there as they'd had a head start. There was a second, and more important, reason for attempting to cut off the royals. Finding out where they were headed would make it easier for Zod's main army to get there first and to break up any royal army before it could form.

The best way to win this war, in Zod's estimation, was to keep it from ever really getting underway.

Once the king knew Dru-Zod meant to challenge for the throne, he acted to place his children in safe, widely separate locations, in case something went wrong. No one in the kingdom besides he and his wife knew where to find both of the children, which just added to their protection. Once the king's children were as safe as they could be, he felt free to act.

The biggest problem Jor-El faced was giving the loyal nobles, primarily located in the south and east of the kingdom, the time and the space necessary to gather their small armies into one large one that might be able to deal with Zod on something like equal terms. Figuring Zod would expect any army buildup to center on the king himself, Jor-El planned to lead Zod out of the way and hole up in a well-supplied, strongly defended castle in the far south of the kingdom.

While Zod surrounded the castle and considered his options for siege or even assault, the loyal Dukes, Counts, and Barons would be gathering their troops in the far east, which should give them enough time to organize and supply themselves. Holing up in a fixed location was a risk, but it was a calculated one. Jor-El thought it was the one most likely to give his supporters the chance they'd need.

As Jor-El and Lara raced southward in a carriage, with a heavy guard of knights and other armored horsemen, they reflected that they were about to be safe, and that their children were safe, too. Kal-El was hidden in the Baron of Roskilde's household across the border into Krakovia, and Mara had taken ship and headed to Anglia, where she was to have an honored place in young King Richard's court.

The problem they couldn't do anything about was that, while _their_ family was safe, everyone else was potentially at risk as the kingdom went to war with itself. That ate at Jor-El, and at Lara, but the potential long-term damage from having a brutish man like Dru-Zod as king overpowered all other considerations.

Clark's world was considerably smaller at the moment. Ever since Lois had learned Sir Bruce was making him available for various menial jobs around the manor, she had taken great joy in giving him as many dirty, nasty jobs as she could find. When the guard captain decided the soldiers' barracks needed a new latrine trench dug, Lois made sure Clark was part of the crew that got the job.

She was a general thorn in Clark's side until a week after they'd arrived at the manor. True to his word, Lord Lang located a new set of tutors for his girls. These weren't worried about history or mathematics, these tutors were here to help the girls sharpen their 'female' skills, which included sewing, dancing, and music, among other things.

It was quickly established that the two oldest girls had lost whatever musical skills they may once have had, but Alicia blossomed, as she loved both singing and playing the harpsichord. The older girls were thus able to skip out on music lessons, but their father was insistent on them working on their sewing and dancing.

Lois muttered curses about how this was all Clark's fault, and Lana, who was as unhappy about the sewing part as Lois was, found herself defending Clark and blaming Lois. Lana and Alicia quickly regained a basic competence wielding needles, but Lois had more difficulty due to the callouses on her hands from sword practice and due to her general unwillingness to learn.

All three girls, however, were interested in brushing up on their dancing skills. Their father was still waiting word on when he would have his audience with the grand duke, and they knew they'd be brought along to be introduced at court. It was their best chance of making local connections and being invited to join the social scene in the capital.

The girls had spent most of their young lives stuck in the cultural backwater of Roskilde. Parties had been few and far between, and had always been small. The chance to attend the various parties of the late fall and winter social season, when many noble families would come back to the capital until spring, was the best chance any of them had ever had.

The problem with dancing instruction, was that they didn't have anyone to practice dancing with. There were no young men of quality in the household who might be reliably expected to know the proper dances. Only when Bruce overheard Alicia complaining to Lana about the lack of a proper dancing partner did a solution present itself.

"Ladies?" Bruce said.

"Yes, Sir Bruce?" Lana replied. She still didn't like the idea of a man with such a brutal reputation being assigned to her family, and she wasn't quite able to keep the distaste out of her voice.

"I'm sorry to have overheard what Lady Alicia was just saying, but I have a possible solution."

"_You,_ Sir Bruce?" Alicia said doubtfully, as she eyed the man who had to be twice her own age.

"No, milady," Bruce said. "Not only do I not have the knowledge of dancing that is needed, but working with your father's soldiers is pretty much a full-time occupation." Bruce shifted his gaze toward Lana to see her reaction to what he said next. "But Squire Clark is supposed to be an excellent dancer, even though he claims to hate it."

Just as Lord Lang had led him to believe she would, the young woman's eyes brightened and she took in a deep breath. The thing he noticed was that the younger sister reacted in much the same way. _Oh great! _Bruce thought. _Clark will have two daughters of the house fighting over him, while the third tries to break his neck._

Bruce knew he'd have to float the idea to Lord Lang first, but thought that having the contact between Clark and his daughters happen under the watchful eye of the dancing master would be enough to get him to agree, especially since he'd been the one to order the practicing.

"Before you ladies get too excited, please allow me to present the idea to your lord father, as I know he's been concerned with, umm, how you ladies spend your time."

Both girls thanked Bruce, but before he slipped away, Lana stopped him, waited until Alicia disappeared down the hall, and asked, "How is Squire Clark doing, Sir Bruce? I haven't gotten more than a glance or two of him since the welcoming banquet."

"He's doing fine. Lady Lois has been assigning him the nastiest jobs she can, but if your father approves of this dancing plan, that will change. Then, the worst part of his duties will be trying to keep three lovely young women from stepping on his toes."

Lana smiled, both at Bruce's refreshing forthrightness, and at the image of her and her sisters trampling Clark's feet as they refreshed their abilities. "One more thing before you go, Sir Bruce."

"Yes, milady?"

"Who is Squire Clark?" Lana bit her lip. "What is his family name?"

Bruce's face, which only seconds before had been enwreathed with a smile, dropped as Lana asked a question he dare not answer. He thought about lying, but realized he'd likely get caught in the lie sooner or later, so he stuck with the truth. "I'm not allowed to say what his family name is, or even if he _has _a family, milady."

"But why?"

"Sorry, Lady Lana, I'm not allowed to say why I'm not allowed to say…now, if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to your lord father and see if he'll allow my squire the company of his daughters."

Troubled, Lana waved the knight away and headed for her spacious room. She understood there could be legitimate reasons for not revealing Clark's parentage, but she wondered what reason there could be for hiding the reason itself. The only conclusion she could make in the short time before she entered the family quarters, was that he was likely the son of someone powerful. Whether a legitimate son who'd need secrecy to protect from a kidnapping or assassination, or a bastard son, who might be embarrassed for anyone to know.

_Either way,_ Lana thought, _he might be within reach of the second daughter of Baron. I could have a chance. _

Lana floated the rest of the way up to her quarters, as she hoped Bruce was successful in convincing her father to allow the squire to help. She was just going to have to pretend indifference if her father asked about him, so he didn't get overly protective. And as for Lois continually assigning him dirty jobs, well…she'd have to see about that little scheme.

Bruce found Lord Lang in his library, which now really _looked_ like a library, as all the books they'd brought from Roskilde had been unloaded and carefully stocked onto the bookcases they'd brought. Close to the door were a pair of plain wooden reading tables with four sturdy chairs each table had two glass and brass candle lamps, none of which were in use at the time.

At the far end of the room, just in front of the lone window, sat a large, heavily carved desk. Behind the desk was where Lord Lang was located, reading through a few sheets of paper.

Lord Lang heard his new arms master approach, and held up the sheaf of paper as if wielding a club. "This damn move cost me a small fortune. Between extra food for the people and fodder for the animals, and all the wagons I had to hire, I'm out slightly more than 1,000 gold crowns."

"A princely sum, milord."

"Then there's _this_ place. Rent will not be cheap."

"I'm sure the king's favor is worth something, milord."

"It is…it always is…but that's not why I'm here." Bruce waited for Lord Lang to continue. "I'm here because my king has called on me, because he _needs_ me." Setting the papers back down, Lord Lang focused on his guest. "What can I do for you, Sir Bruce?"

Bruce went on to explain the conflict between his desire to keep Lana and Clark apart, and his very real need to have a male dance partner for his girls to practice with. "I know you are still waiting for an audience with the grand duke, but I can't help but think that at least one of your daughters will receive an acceptable invitation once you've had the chance to officially introduce them to Krakovian society."

"Invitation to what?" Lord Lang asked. He really didn't seem to know about the Harvest Ball.

"The Harvest Ball. At least, that's what my squire calls it, and as he has a close relationship with a local noble, he ought to know. Furthermore, Clark says it's both the highlight of the fall/winter party season in Varshova, and the event that acts as the semi-official start to it all."

Lord Lang held his forehead in his hands before running them down to his mouth and off his chin. "So you mean to say my girls can't afford to miss this dance?"

"Not if you have any hopes of getting one or more married while you are here."

Lord Lang pondered the idea, feeling screwed whichever way he went. "Okay. Send your boy to the dancing master tomorrow after lunch…and have him put on that one nice set of clothes the tailor made for him. I'll tell the tailor to make you another several sets of dress uniforms and the like," Lord Lang took that moment to point a finger at Bruce and shake it while saying, "Just make sure that boy knows my girls are off limits to him."

"It will be done," Bruce said, before backing out of the room and turning toward his bed, and a long night's sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Let's Dance

Bruce waited until just before he and his charge began their morning hand-to-hand combat practice before telling him of his new assignment. Clark stopped in mid-step, looked right at Bruce, as if trying to bore a hole right through him, and said, "I've got to do _what, _Sir Bruce, with _whom?"_

"Dance practice. Lord Lang's three daughters need some serious remedial dancing lessons. Apparently he spent too much time turning them into clerks who could help him run his affairs, and not enough time on making them into proper ladies. And now there's this Harvest Ball coming up in the not so distant future, and the ladies don't want to look like fools."

"Balls can be a lot of fun, as long as there aren't a lot of hidden agendas involved," Clark mused. "The balls I attended always included _lots_ of hidden agendas though."

"I…wouldn't know much about that, Clark…I, uh, I've never been to a royal ball of any sort." Embarrassed, Bruce admitted, "It's hard for a common-born knight to wangle that sort of invitation."

Clark looked directly at Bruce. "I hope they aren't counting on actually _going_ to the Harvest Ball. It's going to be just as difficult for Lord Lang's daughters to get an invitation to this ball as it is for a 'common-born knight' to get an invitation to a ball back home…if what Harry says is correct."

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked carefully.

"This is _the_ premier event on the Krakovian social calendar. Everyone who is anyone from the local nobility will be there. Visiting minor nobility like the Baron of Roskilde and his family won't likely be able to get their feet in the door…unless one of them is invited by someone who has an invitation, but needs an escort." Clark took his starting position for practice. "I'll dance with the ladies if you require it, but please let them know this Harvest Ball is _not _where they will make their local social debuts."

"Shit…"

"Not here, Sir Bruce, the latrine trench is out back. Trust me on that one. I dug almost half of it myself."

"Heh, Smartass. Let's get this practice over with so you can eat, clean up, and dance with the ladies…oh, two more things: first, wear the good clothes Lord Lang's tailor made for you, and second, I'm supposed to make sure you know all of his daughters are strictly off limits to you.

"It would show a complete disregard for a man who is risking a lot to shield you if you were to trifle with any of his daughters, especially when you know you will have to marry elsewhere."

Surprised by Bruce's line of discussion, Clark replied icily, "The _next_ time I 'trifle' with a woman's affections will be the _first_ time, Sir Bruce. I know, better than anyone, just how limited my choices are when it comes to women. I'll thank you kindly to keep your instruction to how I fight."

"Fair enough, Squire. But as your behavior reflects upon me, I'm _ordering_ you to pay no notice to the ladies. That should be easy with Lady Lois; you two are like oil and water. Lady Alicia is, I think, a bit young for your taste, despite her beauty. But we _both_ know you have a fondness for Lady Lana. Dance with her…but nothing more."

Clark was seething by now, and his anger made their workout more interesting than usual. Clark's sudden desire to pound on Bruce left him wide open for a number of hard shots, especially to the ribs, but Clark's extra long reach and his sheer determination allowed him to land several heavy blows of his own.

It didn't occur to Bruce until their workout was over that Clark had figured something out: he would be happy to take all the beatings Bruce could dish out for an hour, as long as he got in a fair number of shots in return. This was because Clark knew he would heal instantly once the workout was over, but Bruce would hurt for days.

_Well, there's the temper flare-up I've been waiting for; too bad I'm going to have to pay for it._

"I'm glad of one thing, Squire," Bruce said, as Clark prepared to rush off to a hurried breakfast.

"What's that, Sir Bruce?"

"That you took your anger out on me instead of someone else. That use of your regenerating ability was unworthy of you."

Clark grimaced. "You noticed, huh? Most people don't."

"I'll admit it took me awhile. I couldn't understand why you were fighting in such a crazy way, until I realized how sore I was and how I was going to feel it for a couple of days. Then I caught a glimpse of that amulet and realized you wouldn't even feel it long enough to leave the waryard.

"I had thought you were becoming a man. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe _this_ is who you really are, and the rest has just been pretending."

Clark handed over the amulet to Bruce, who tucked it away in the lead box where it belonged. Clark healed, just as Bruce had said. No pain, no stiffness, no bruises. Clark looked around to make sure the waryard was empty, and as Bruce straightened up, Clark shifted his stored energy for use as magical energy. He then laid his hands on either side of Bruce's face, and said, "Vigoratus."

Clark's hands glowed purple, and Bruce felt a surge of energy pass through his body. It scared him enough that it took him several seconds to realize he no longer felt any pain. Experimentally trying out a shoulder Clark had nearly dislocated with an armbar, Bruce's eyes grew in wonder as it felt loose and easy, as if nothing had happened.

"What the Hell did you do?"

"A simple healing spell. Mother's much better at it than I am. If you'd actually broken anything, my version of the spell wouldn't help you much."

"What if someone had seen you do it?"

"Like who? I looked all around the waryard, and even used some x-ray vision to make sure no one was hiding around a corner. Besides…weren't you the one who was just griping like a girl about how much you were hurting?"

"Noooooo. _I_ was the one griping about your childish reaction to being told there was a sweet for dinner, but you couldn't have any."

"You know something, _Sir _Bruce?" Clark had poured as much sarcasm into the 'Sir' as he possibly could. Bruce definitely noticed. "For a guy who's seen and done as much as you have, you don't seem to know very much…not about me anyway.

"There's a powerful tradeoff when it comes to being the Crown Prince," Clark said. "I've been given so much. Wealth beyond the dreams of avarice. Power…not much now it's true, but soon I'll assume my position as Duke of Borussia to get some experience ruling.

"But in return for that wealth and power, I'm required to give up almost everything else. I don't choose my wife…my parents do. I didn't choose my profession…that was decided the moment they knew I was a boy. All this and more. Basic decisions for most people which have been taken from me by royal protocol.

"It's the paradox of royal life. All that power…and yet, so few real choices to actually make." Clark shook his head and cleared his throat, as he was somewhat embarrassed to have felt sorry for himself over such a small thing. "And now you want to deny me the pleasure of smiling at a lady, enjoying her company, and hoping she'll smile back.

"I _know_ I can't marry any of Lord Lang's daughters, damn it! Just don't try to order me to turn a blind eye to their charms while I'm here." Clark straightened up to leave. "You'd have just as much success ordering water to flow uphill."

Far above the out of the way part of the waryard where Clark and Bruce always went to practice, in a third-floor room that hadn't been assigned for use yet, stood the Lady Alicia. She'd been too far away to hear anything that had been said between the two men as they fought, but she knew enough of Clark's usual behavior to recognize he was particularly angry. That kept her interested long enough for her to see the end of the workout and the purple glow that surrounded his hands as he set them on the knight's face.

Alicia's eyes opened wide upon seeing that. She'd never seen the glow before but knew immediately it signified magical ability on the part of the squire. _And who does he have to be to be able to do that? _Alicia wondered. The question was purely rhetorical, as she knew the answer already. _Squire Clark has to be a son of a major house. I wonder if he's a second son embarking on a military career…or even a first son and heir who's been sent out for some seasoning…either way, he's almost like a prince in disguise, just like in one of father's books. This is so exciting!_

The reason Alicia had been watching the men workout was that she wanted to know roughly when Clark would go in for breakfast so she could just _happen _to show up at the same time. Once Clark left the waryard, she scurried down two staircases and then stopped to regain her composure before making her way to the dining hall doors just as Clark strode up.

Seeing Lady Alicia, Clark stepped back and bowed carefully to her even as he pulled the door open and held it.

Excited to be in the know on Clark's secret, Alicia was even warmer to Clark than usual, as she smiled and said, "Thank you, Squire."

"You're most welcome, milady." Clark rose from his bow and followed Alicia in. He ate in a hurry and rushed off to clean up and dress, barely noticing the warm smiles he'd been receiving from Lady Alicia as he ate.

Not needing warm water, Clark didn't even bother with heating any before stripping down and scrubbing himself clean. He then grabbed his one set of decent, for a squire anyway, formal clothes and began to pull it on. The tailor had wanted Clark's outfit to mimic Bruce's, only not look quite as fancy as he was only a squire, so he wore a plain white shirt with no ruffles or lace of any kind. His jacket was a blood red, single-breasted number with some simple gold trim and plain brass buttons. It was belted at the waist with a plain gold-colored belt, with only a few more inches of jacket sticking out below the belt. His slacks were plain but well-made, and black in color. His last job was a super-speed cleaning and buffing of his boots.

Clark didn't have the luxury of an actual mirror in Bruce's room, so he just ran his hands through his hair, which was now almost one inch in length, and hoped that would be enough. Not having been given an exact time to appear, Clark knew he was better off making a beeline to the site of the dancing lessons and risk being early than wandering around and risk being late. This feeling only intensified when he realized he had no idea in which room, or even on which floor, he was supposed to report.

Two housemaids and a flash of the Kent charm later, and he was on his way. The smitten girl even led him right to the door, before Clark winked at her, straightened his jacket, and knocked firmly on the closed door.

"Ve are closed! Ve are haffing danzing lessons!" came a loud voice with a thick accent. Clark could hear some whispering, but couldn't make out what was being said. "Och, ya! Ze danzer! Come in, please! Zese ladies are hopeless."

Clark cautiously pushed open the unlatched door and walked inside, whereupon he assumed an 'at-ease' posture and began to survey the ladies.

Lois was actually in a dress for once, which was something Clark thought she should do more often given the way she cleaned up. The dress was a shade of pale blue which went well with her straw-colored blonde hair. It looked like she'd been smiling widely just a minute ago, likely right up until he'd knocked.

Lana was in a white dress which was a bit fancier than what she usually wore from day to day, but was relatively basic for a woman of her class, but stunning nonetheless.

Alicia's dress was the most dramatic, being a deep, rich purple, but that was as expected since she was always the most fashion conscious of the three Langs on a day-to-day basis.

Clark eyed the three gorgeous young women and thought their father should get some kind of medal from the king for producing so much beauty. He thought their mother _must_ have been a legendary beauty. As he thought this, his eyes moved back and forth, as he tried to keep from staring at any of the women, but he found his eyes lingering again and again on the simple white dress and lustrous brown hair of Lady Lana. She noticed and smiled slightly every time Clark did it, which always made him realize what he was doing and start his eyes moving again…until his eyes settled upon Lana again and started the cycle over again.

"Vell, Boy? Vat danzes do you know?" the impatient dancing master asked pointedly.

Clark pulled his eyes from the beauties before him and looked at the little man to reply. "If it's a dance you plan on teaching these ladies, I can dance it. Nothing salacious though. Or else I'll be honor-bound to refer the matter to Lord Lang's attention."

Lois already looked like she couldn't stand to be in the same room with Clark, but hearing him declare himself the protector of her morals and reputation just about had smoke rolling out of her ears. Lana thought his stance was only prudent, given that any 'salacious' dance they learned would inevitably involve him dancing that way with them…something sure to earn her father's ire. Alicia just sighed, as she thought Clark's stand was just what she expected from her 'noble in hiding.'

The dancing master just clucked at Clark's statement, and said, "But of course, my boy. Ze Baron has made it very clear what his expectations are. Ze ladies vill not be learning anything of a 'questionable' nature." Turning his eyes on Clark in a direct challenge, he added, "As for your assertion that you are a competent danzer, _that _remains to be seen.

"And _my_ standards on competence are very stringent indeed."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Slip of the Lip

Clark stood and waited for the dancing master to start things off, as he himself couldn't very well dance with all three Lang women at once.

"Ze other tutors indicated to me zat they vould like Lady Lois to dance first, as she has ze most work to do in her other subjects." That earned the dancing master a death glare from Lois, but he shrugged it off easily, which only served to irritate her more.

As Clark approached Lois, the other two young women withdrew to chairs on the other side of the room to watch intently. Clark bowed to Lois, who returned his bow with a slightly uncomfortable curtsey.

"May I have this dance, Lady Lois?" Clark asked, as he held out his hand to her.

"I would be _delighted," _Lois said, in a tone of voice that left no doubt of just how delighted she was to be dancing with the squire.

The dancing master chose a relatively simple two-person dance to start out with, since he knew Lois was a stiff dancer at best and had no idea of the level of skill Clark might exhibit. Lois _was_ stiff and somewhat slow to pick up the steps, but the master quickly realized Clark was likely every bit as good as claimed. When he saw some of Lois' problems stemmed from her embarrassment of looking bad in front of her sisters, the master dismissed Lana and Alicia to other studies, with Lana due back two hours before lunch, and Alicia to be back after lunch.

Deciding this was his best chance at repairing their fractured relationship, Clark stayed silent and kept from any sort of correction of her steps. Clark was a little bit slow in recognizing what was going on with Lois, but he finally realized she was becoming more and more frustrated with her own inability to learn the dances easily, and was taking her frustrations out on others. Since Clark was being quiet, and was dancing perfectly, that meant she had to lash out at the dancing master.

That man was patient, but had his limits, and when Lois finally crossed them, he would fire off bursts of his native language in return, which Clark immediately recognized as being Frankic, one of the three languages he spoke in addition to his native tongue. The man's outbursts were infrequent, harmless, and generally hilarious, making Clark fight to keep from laughing out loud…right up until Lois got particularly frustrated with the footwork of an intricate dance sequence and let loose with a fist against Clark's chest and a stream of invective at the dance master.

Clark took the blow as it was intended, a way to let off steam, but the dancing master felt insulted again, and said something different this time. Something dark and foul. Lois couldn't tell what he'd said, and he'd assumed Clark couldn't either, until Clark's head whipped around in surprise and anger.

While the dancing master blanched, Clark fired off a reply in word-perfect Frankic that had the dancing master on his knees begging Lois for forgiveness…in heavily accented Alemanni.

"Why is he apologizing to me, Squire?" Lois asked.

"The man voiced an ugly slur, milady," Clark replied. "If you were my family, I would have challenged him on the spot. Instead, I told him he'd better get started apologizing now, before I told you and you decided to call on someone to defend your honor."

Lois looked at Clark directly, sure the insult must have been particularly foul to have earned his anger when the insult was directed at her. "What, _exactly, _did he say?"

Clark started to reply, and then, having trouble even forcing the words out of his mouth in a lady's presence, told the dancing master to answer the question.

"I zaid you dance like a…a…" he looked up at Clark, who signaled for him to get on with it, "…a drunken whore."

Lois knew exactly what that meant. She wanted to challenge the man herself, but her father had expressly forbidden her to use weapons of any sort. Without so much as looking at Clark, Lois asked, "If I ask it of you, Squire, would you be my defender?"

"If you ask it and Sir Bruce allows it, I'll defend your honor to whatever extreme you deem necessary, milady."

"Thank you, Squire. I'll tell father before dinner. Don't let the little man escape before then. I'm done with dancing for the day."

Lois stormed off, and the frightened dancing master pled with Clark, in Frankic, for mercy. Clark told him he only deserved as much mercy as Lady Lois chose to allow and that she didn't seem to be a particularly merciful person. Clark intended to scare the crap out of the master but was counting on Bruce to keep him from having to actually harm this man.

They had fifteen minutes to kill after Lois left before Lana showed up, eager to dance. One look at Lana making her way into the room, and Clark forgot all about the dancing master and his mouth. The two young people stood an arm's length away, each enraptured by the other's appearance, when the master rolled his eyes and cleared his throat.

"If we might begin…zometime _today_ maybe?"

Clark bowed low to Lana, and her curtsey was just as deep, just as formal. He found his mouth was dry and his hand was nearly shaking as he extended it to her and asked, "May I have this dance, Lady Lana?"

"It would be my pleasure, Squire," Lana replied. Anyone who saw or heard her reply would have had no doubt just how much she meant that.

There was no storybook automatic meshing of two hearts and four feet. Lana was a better dancer than Lois, but was still learning the steps, and adjusting to a partner who was a full foot taller than she was. Clark, who'd been smooth as good glass while dancing with Lois, had turned into a stumble-footed rookie, which had the master stumped, until Clark stopped, looked Lana deep in the eyes, before turning away and admitting, "Lady Lana makes me nervous."

Lana's heart soared on the strength of that shy pronouncement, as she knew you couldn't get nervous about a performance for someone unless being impressive meant something to you.

"Please, Squire, I'd like it if you'd call me Lana."

"La-na…" Clark said her name as if he was savoring each syllable and was afraid he'd never get to say it again. "I like that. Please feel free to call me Clark, milady…Lana."

Lana's eyes flashed at Clark's lapse into formality, but she smiled radiantly once he said her name again. That smile struck Clark deeply, lancing him all the way into his heart. He thought he might have done anything she required at that moment…_anything, _just to see that smile one more time.

When the dancing resumed, Clark was smoother, and so was Lana as she was sure, for the first time, that the squire was definitely interested in her. She made decent progress during her two hour lesson, and found herself reluctant to leave when it was time for lunch. When Lana asked Clark to escort her down to the dining hall, he smiled, happy that she'd asked, but regretfully told her he had to stay with the master until dinnertime.

"Why?"

"I…think I'd better not say." Clark eyed the master. "If you want to know, ask Lady Lois."

Clark and the master each got a hunk of fresh bread and a plate of stew and found a far off table to eat, just in case the story of his stupidity traveled as fast as the story of Lois' spanking had the week before.

"What's it like sitting and eating with the man who might be your executioner in a few hours?" Clark asked.

"You zink it will come to zat?"

"Not likely, but possible. Hopefully, Lady Lois will cool off between now and the time where she tells her father. If she tells him a highly incendiary account of your stupidity, he may don his own armor and make you pay himself.

"More likely, I see your shirt being stripped from your back and your wrists being tied to the whipping post out in the yard. Since Lady Lois has chosen me as her defender, there's a good chance I'll be called on to give you as many lashes as she requires."

Clark pulled back the sleeves on one arm and flexed his huge forearms, just to give the dancing master something extra to think about. To Clark, the guy seemed to be okay, but he'd screwed up big time and had to pay. Once he'd paid, everything would be fine between them.

That small show of his strength upset the dancing master's stomach, but paradoxically gave him a larger appetite, as he began to eat like a condemned man on his last meal.

After lunch was Clark's time with Alicia. As with the other ladies, there was a formal greeting and then they were off. Clark had to admit it was easiest for him to dance with Alicia, because being with Lana did things to his nerves, and Lois had been both irritable and awkward.

When Alicia's lesson was over, Clark asked her if it would be okay if he used the library, as he'd been ordered to stay with the master until dinner. She easily granted permission, and wondered why he was required to stay with the dancing master. She asked around to see if any of her maids had heard anything, and was surprised to come up empty. Talking to Lana got her nowhere, but talking to Lois just earned her a look of grim satisfaction and an admonishment to not be late to dinner.

Telling Alicia was like telling the entire manor, so everyone who had a spot at the table was there early, with Bruce being one of the last to get there after his drills with the troops. He was one of the few who had no idea of what was going on. Clark stopped him on they way in and pulled him to one side to fill him in.

"Really? This little man said that?" Bruce eyed him. "Brave, I'll give him that, but very stupid."

"_Not_ brave," Clark corrected. "Cowardly. He spoke his slur in a language he expected neither one of us would know. But I knew."

Bruce really was more disgusted with how he'd done it than what he'd said, as he figured Lois had earned herself some sort of harsh comment after the abuse she'd given to the dancing master. He thought if the man had replaced the word 'whore' with 'cow,' he would have been just fine.

As is, he had to see if his squire would have to kill someone, because he'd already privately decided to allow it if Lord Lang asked Clark to follow through on his offer to Lady Lois.

Clark had been informed, while he was reading in the library, that Lord Lang would make his ruling before dinner. His only advice to the dancing master was for him to be on his knees as soon as they stopped moving. The idea was that contrition may be his best shot at reducing his punishment.

It was advice that was well heeded. The master almost dove to his knees as soon as Clark brought him to a stop in front of the head table. Clark's hand on the back off the man's shirt collar was all that was keeping the man from kissing the floor.

"So," Lord Lang said, "this is the worm that dared dishonor one of my daughters by comparing her to a drunken whore." Hearing that drew a stunned gasp from the diners, as only a bare few knew what had happened. The soldiers down at the end of the tables were already giving the dancing master looks that would cause him to soil himself if he were to look their way. They didn't like it when someone attacked one of their ladies like that.

Lana and Alicia were both looking at Lois in shock, while she was looking at the man on the ground with barely restrained anger. Her look told them all they needed to know, and both were curious about why Squire Clark was involved with this.

"As you can hear, little man, my soldiers are restless. They're calling for your blood, and I'm of a mind to let them have it. What have you to say for yourself?"

"That I am guilty, milord. I spoke in Frankic in the hopes no one would know but me, a hidden slur to repay the lady for her disagreeable manner. But the squire heard me, and knew."

"My daughter Lois has asked for you to be her defender in this, Squire. To be the one who punishes the dancing master for his crime. Are you ready?"

"Yes, milord."

"Sir Bruce, do you give permission for your squire to take this role? Is he ready?"

"Yes, milord," Bruce said, strongly, "even unto the ultimate sanction."

Clark was surprised to hear that, but resisted the temptation to look back at his master.

"Very well." Lord Lang turned his attention to the dancing master. "I'd have the Squire rip out your filthy tongue with a pair of armorer's pliers except that would end your chances at making a living. Instead, he'll flog your bare back with a cat o' nine tails until my daughter, the Lady Lois, is satisfied you've had enough.

"Her punishment for being 'disagreeable' in the first place, which she has admitted to, is that she will have to watch you suffer from close range and know that the power to make it stop is hers and hers alone."

After the meal, there was still light outside, which Lord Lang supplemented by ordering a number of pine torches lit and stationed around the area so everyone could see. Bruce and Clark had gone up to Bruce's room so Clark could change into a work shirt so he could wear his amulet under the cloth. Otherwise, he'd risk killing the guy with his first stroke.

When Clark and Bruce returned, the crowd parted for them, and a nameless soldier handed Clark a cat o' nine tails. The dancing master, whose name Clark still had to learn, as he thought punishing an unknown man would be easier, was already stripped to the waist and tied to a pole at the wrists, which were crossed and far over his head.

Clark made a big show of taking a few practice swings to loosen up, then waited for Lord Lang to give permission to begin. Once he'd gestured, Clark turned to Lois, who was standing only a few feet away. When she nodded her head, Clark turned to his task and brought the cat o' nine tails down on the dancing master's back at full force, forcing a bellow of pain from the thin man, as huge red welts sprung into being on his back.

The soldiers watched and cheered each blow, and derided the dancing master as a sissy who was crying almost before the first stripe was on his back. The servants winced, but were very loyal to their employers, at least the ones that had come down from Roskilde, and any attack on the family was not to be tolerated.

The ladies were in shock, with Lana and Alicia turning away after the second blow, but Lois hung on, even as the dancing master screamed as if each blow was the last one he could possibly take.

Clark had the man's back crisscrossed with stripes, a few of which were bleeding, after five blows. After ten strokes, the blood flowed freely down his back, and Lois had endured all she could.

"Stop! Dear God, Squire. Stop!" Clark let go of the tool of discipline in mid-stroke, causing it to fly off into the crowd. He pulled out a short dagger to free the dancing master, but a tough, old sergeant beat him to it. The man collapsed backward into Clark's arms, who then stretched him out flat on his stomach, so some of the housemaids could rush in and help stanch the flow of blood.

Clark wanted to heal him, but knew he couldn't, as the man would be expected to wear the stripes under his shirt. He knew the dancing master would hurt tomorrow, and for several days thereafter. Clark figured tomorrow would be time enough to finally learn the man's name.

Lord Lang had watched the beating, but had spent his time focused on his daughter and on his future king. He was pleased to see his daughter was not the hard ass she always tried to portray herself as, and was equally pleased to see the young prince could dish out punishment when it was required.

Many nobles liked to pronounce punishments and then leave it up to others to carry them out; he liked the idea that Squire Clark could punish someone as long as was necessary and not flinch from the task. It boded well for him as a king.

Lord Lang pulled Bruce aside as Clark helped care for the fallen dancing master. "Your boy shows promise, Sir Bruce."

"Yeah, he does. I don't think he ever expected to have to beat a man like that in his life." They looked over at Clark, and saw his shirt was half covered in blood. "And now, he's not worried about the blood he's covered with, only with helping the man he's just punished."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Getting to Know You

The next day was a day off from dancing lessons, as the dancing master needed time and rest to heal his wounds. Lana heard that during breakfast, and finished eating quickly so she could make her way to the waryard and claim Clark's services before Lois assigned him to more nasty work. She _hoped _her sister would be thankful this morning for the way Clark had stood up for her, but since this was Lois, she still might be carrying a grudge.

Lana was grateful to arrive at the out of the way location where Sir Bruce and his squire practiced before Lois got there, and she settled in to watch what looked like, to her untrained eyes anyway, some weird form of wrestling. She eyed the two men from a discreet distance and hoped her father wouldn't walk by and see her in such an unladylike pursuit.

She marveled at the way the two men threw each other around, and wondered if this might be a good way for a smaller person to fight a larger one. To her, it all seemed like quickness combined with principles of angle and leverage, things she'd learned in her geometry studies. Not that _she'd_ ever fight anyone, but it _was_ a style that would suit Lois.

As the fighting slowed and then stopped, Lana's eyes narrowed as she saw the squire draw a golden necklace with a pendant of some sort from out of his shirt and pull it over his head before handing it to Sir Bruce, who then put it away in a heavy-looking box.

_What could that be? _Lana wondered. _What kind of jewelry is that you only wear while you are fighting? Why stash it in that box? And why is Clark the only one who wears it? Is it some kind of good luck charm? Maybe I can ask father's guard captain what it might be._

Just as Bruce gave a last instruction to Clark, Lana stepped into full view and approached the sweaty men. The smells and sounds of the waryard were not her usual milieu, but she was not bothered by them either as she waited to be noticed. Clark started to leave, and then saw Lana, stopping immediately to bow to her. Bruce bowed at the same time, and Lana waited until both men had straightened again before speaking.

"Sir Bruce? I have been told your squire is available for household tasks once breakfast is over. Is this true?"

"It is, milady."

"Good. I wish to claim Squire Clark's services today to help me reorganize the books in the library. The servants are no good for the job, as they can't read, but since the squire used the library yesterday as he waited for dinner, I know he can read."

"Milady," Bruce said, just to stop Lana from talking, "you don't have to justify your need for Clark's services. Just tell me you want him and he's yours."

"I want him," Lana said with a smile. _Oh boy, do I ever!_

"Then he's yours. Just make sure he comes back to me if he finishes before the evening meal."

"Thank you, Sir Bruce," Lana said. She looked directly at Clark, but still spoke to Bruce. "I'll make sure your precious boy doesn't get lost."

That earned a chuckle from both men, and Clark followed Lana as she turned back toward the house. As they were in public, Clark kept quiet, waiting for his better to speak. She was dying to ask Clark about the night before, but thought better of doing so in public. Instead, she asked if he was ready to help her organize the library.

"Yes," Clark replied. "How do you want to do it?"

"I'd like to sort the books by subject, then by author, then alphabetically. That way, it should be easier to find all the various books on a subject that you could want."

"Seems a sound method to me, milady," Clark replied.

Lana looked back over her shoulder and scolded him, "I thought we decided last night that you were to dispense with the formalities and just call me Lana."

"Yes, milady, you did." Clark gestured to the open land and all of the servants and soldiers working nearby. "But now we are in public, and these people of yours will demand I show you the respect to which you are entitled. My being overly familiar with you out here will just cause both of us problems."

"True. Nonetheless, _Clark,_ I wish for you to call me Lana…unless my father is nearby."

Clark sighed. "As you command…Lana."

All morning they worked, with Lana pointing to a shelf, Clark clearing it of books, and Lana sorting them into various stacks. Once done, Lana began to sort the first subject by author, and once that was done, sorted each author by title. Once an author's books in a particular subject were sorted to her satisfaction, Clark then began to place the books back on the shelves in their new order.

The library in total consisted of some eight hundred volumes, which wasn't a lot in Clark's experience as he was used to the extensive royal libraries, but he knew enough to know that number was a _lot_ by the standards of the minor nobility and thus was likely a matter of great pride for Lana and her family…and then there was the fact that there were at least two different books in this collection he had never seen before in his life, both of which he was dying to read. So instead of belittling her family library and earning her wrath, Clark decided to ask questions that would draw her out and let her shine.

"How long has your family been collecting books, Lana?"

Not even bothering to look up from her sorting, Lana replied, "According to family legend, it was started by the first Baron of Roskilde some two hundred years ago."

Clark looked at the books and counted as quickly as he could, just to make sure his estimate of eight hundred had been correct. It was. "Please pardon me for my ignorance, Lana, but eight hundred books in two hundred years seems to be a small total."

"It would be," Lana agreed, "except most of father's library had to be left at home. I was in charge of selecting which books got to come on the trip. There are still some four thousand books left at home."

Clark was staggered by that total. It was still considerably less than the total held in the royal libraries, but had to be more than the total held in even the richest duchies in the land…likely including his own.

"_That_…that is a more worthy number, Lana," Clark admitted. "Your family's devotion to scholarship and the preservation of knowledge is amazing, and should be emulated by all."

"We've never been a family of great warriors, which is strange given that our lands are right on the border, though we have produced three different holders of the post Lord High Treasurer."

"Good with money instead of swords then."

"Of course. Even the women. We have to be prepared to run the finances of a noble household once we are married, to make sure our families have all that our lords husband want without running the family into ruinous debt." Lana looked up from her books, and asked, "What about you, Clark? Your family must value a good education since you apparently can speak Frankic."

Clark slowly nodded his head. "We do. For my father, education wasn't stuffing my head with facts…it was giving me the tools to think for myself. And mother was always quoting one of those old philosophers of hers, who once said, 'It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.' So yeah, an education has always been important to my family."

"Are Alemanni and Frankic all you can speak?"

Clark thought carefully about his answer, before deciding to go to with the truth since that wouldn't give her any sort of clue about his family or position. "No, I speak Iberian and Anglish, too."

"Oh…well then, how about saying something for me."

"In what?"

"Mmm…how about Iberian? It sounds so romantic as it rolls off the tongue."

"Okay." Clark thought about what he could say that wouldn't sound stupid to his ears, and then, realizing Lana apparently couldn't understand Iberian, picked something he'd never have the nerve to tell her in their native tongue. _So you want romance, do you? _Clark thought. _How about this? _Clark spoke a brief couple of sentences, complete with rolling Rs, and waited for her reaction.

Lana froze momentarily, as she could speak and understand Iberian very well. She was shocked twofold: first, to learn Clark could speak Iberian perfectly, without any trace of accent, which was something even she couldn't do, and second, to hear him say 'You, Lana, possess a look unlike any I've ever known. Singular in beauty, matchless in grace…' he'd shaken his head helplessly, '…I find myself falling deeper and harder for you with each passing day.'

"That sounded quite…_beautiful,_ Clark. Thank you."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Father Knows

Once the books were done, Lana called a servant for a carafe of well-watered wine, and a loaf of fresh bread with a choice of butter or olive oil for the two of them to share since they'd worked straight through lunch. Lana had been so engrossed by the books, and by Clark's unknowing declaration of his feelings, that she hadn't noticed when it had been time for lunch.

Clark and his stomach _had_ noticed lunch time slipping by, but if Lana was going to tough it out and skip lunch, there was no way he was going to wimp out and ask her to stop…especially not when she was looking so cute as she lovingly pored over the books.

Once the food was ordered, Lana led Clark down to a walled-in courtyard with a central fountain surrounded by a few plush seats and a small table. When the servants brought the food a few minutes later, it was arranged on the small table, and Clark waited for Lana to go first. She played the gracious hostess and poured drinks for both of them, asking Clark if he preferred to dip his bread in olive oil or to slather it with butter.

Clark chose the butter, as did Lana, so they each buttered up their own slices of bread, placed them on smaller plates, and sat on the coping of the fountain to eat.

"Thank you for your able assistance today, Clark," Lana said, in between bites.

"I'm always pleased to help a lady in need," Clark replied, "but the thanks really belong to Sir Bruce. He's the one who's got me working all over the manor."

"Well…what would you be doing then, if your time was free?" Lana was truly curious. She knew little about the man inside. Knowing what was close to his heart, what he really wanted to be doing, was becoming important to her.

"Truth? I'd be trying to discover any word of my family. I've only been gone from them for roughly two months, and I already miss them terribly." Clark looked down and scratched at the stone surface they sat on. "Seems an awfully silly thing to complain about. After all, once I have my knighthood, I may be gone for six to eight months at a time on military campaigns during time of war." Clark gazed back into Lana's eyes. "And yet, all I want is to tease my sister about her latest admirers, watch my father handle his daily business, and watch my mother get most of what she wants even though she pretends to be subservient to Father." His finger trailed idly through the water. "Does that make me weak?"

"No," Lana said firmly, "it just makes you a man. All _boys_ talk about is war and the glory and wealth they will amass. _Men_ realize it all comes back to family, that the only lasting legacy any of us truly has is the people who come after us."

Liking what she'd said, but feeling the conversation had become a bit too serious given the way he felt about her, Clark moved it back to lighter topics, talking about how he'd like to be out riding his horse or maybe exploring the nearby city of Varshova, as he had known someone who used to live there, and thus had heard much about the city.

Conscious of spending far too much time talking about himself, Clark steered the conversation to Lana and her interests…other than books, that is. She admitted she liked to ride also, and let Clark know she preferred split skirts and a proper saddle to the ridiculous looking sidesaddles that some ladies preferred.

And while she had a well-known preference for things that were practical, she did have a weakness for fresh flowers, and thus wanted to get a flower garden going as soon as possible.

"What flowers are your favorite?" Clark asked, suddenly wishing he knew all the varieties growing at the summer palace.

"Roses and lilies smell so beautiful," Lana admitted, "but my favorites are irises. Their shape, their smell, their colors…they're just wonderful." Clark carefully filed that bit of information away for future use.

As the bread and the watered wine came to an end, Lana finally got around to asking about what she'd wanted to know all day long. "About last night…"

"Yes?"

Lana searched for the words that would work without insulting the man to which she was talking. "How…um, how did you manage to whip the dancing master? I was sick after a couple of blows and had to turn away."

Clark shrugged, as if not quite sure himself, and looked away from Lana. "I guess I could stand in there and do it because it was a matter of discipline. Something I've learned from my father is that painful lessons generally only have to be taught once. So once your lord father named the punishment, I was ready to be the instrument of its execution." Clark looked at Lana out of the corner of his eye. "I seriously doubt that man will insult _any_ lady, in so gross a manner at least, ever again."

"Sooooooo, after beating him like that, how do you expect to work with him once he heals?"

"He's paid his debt already. Whether we work together or not is completely up to the master. If he requests me to be a partner for you ladies, I will."

It wasn't long after that before Clark and Lana separated, with Clark returning to the waryard, and Lana being slightly late to her afternoon tutoring sessions. Lord Lang had noticed Lana missing the noon meal and had sent for her. When the servant came back to report she was sorting the books in the library, Lord Lang was satisfied, until the servant added that she was working with Sir Bruce's squire.

That pushed Lord Lang into action. He went to the room where she was supposed to take her lessons and waited…and waited…and just when he was about to have the manor searched to find her, she came bouncing down the hall to her lessons.

"A little bit _late,_ aren't you?" Lord Lang asked, his impatience all but written on his forehead.

Surprised to see her father, Lana dipped a quick curtsey, and said, "Yes, Father, I am. Please forgive me."

"Let's go, Lana, it's time you and I have a little talk."

She gestured toward the school room. "But what about…"

"They have already been apprised of the situation and will expect you back in a couple days' time." Lord Lang headed down the hall and Lana hurried to follow.

"_Two_ days?" Lana asked. "What could I be doing tomorrow?"

That drew an unintentional grin from Lord Lang. "You always were the quickest of my girls." Lana smiled, proud to have earned such notice from her father. "And you've also always been the least romantically inclined. Alicia actively searches for a storybook romance, and even Lois has been known to flirt outrageously from time to time."

Their winding path through the manor didn't confuse Lana, as she knew the layout of the place better than anyone, due to having spent weeks preparing the house for habitation. She knew full well that her father was headed toward the audience hall. To her, that meant this was a very serious talk, something she was not used to having directed at her.

"But you…you have always seen marriage as the tool it is supposed to be for us. You've always told me you wanted me to choose a good and just husband for you, one with the means to support you, and a strong disinclination to lose those means of support through gambling or other forms of wastage." He craned his neck to look back at Lana. "Am I right so far?"

"Perfectly, Father." _You know you are…emphasizing the point just irritates me._

Lord Lang stepped into the audience hall but held Lana back, completely out of sight. "Out! Out! Everybody out! Clear this hall, and I do mean _instantly!"_

Once the hall was clear, mostly having been occupied before by servants doing daily cleaning, Lord Lang led Lana in and headed for the High Seat. Once sitting there, he was no longer just her father, but was speaking to her as Lord Lang, Baron of Roskilde.

"But now, a pretty face has caught your eye, and you suddenly know what it is to be a woman."

"He's not just a pretty face."

"No. He's not. More's the pity. It would be easier to do what I have to if he were." Lord Lang looked around his audience hall, confused for a second by its dissimilarity to the one in Roskilde Castle. "It's just occurred to me how little I use this room, since we have no commoners here to petition me for favors. Huh." Lord Lang directed his daughter to stand in front of him, "Anyway, there are no favors to ask this afternoon. Not between us."

"Whatever can you mean, Father?"

"Squire Clark." He drummed the finger of one hand on the armrest of his chair. "It seems I've told everyone, _but _you, that he is off limits."

"And why should he be off limits? After what we've seen and heard of his conduct, am I likely to find a more gentlemanly young man? Anywhere? Or are you going to lie to me and say he's not from a good enough family for me?"

"No…I cannot say _what _kind of family he is from. Not now. There is too much at risk."

Lana narrowed her eyes. "What, _exactly,_ is going on back home? Have you had any secret messengers? Does the El dynasty still reign?"

"Having heard nothing to the contrary, I assume so."

"You don't want me to see Clark because of the danger we are in, and yet for me, that is the exact reason I want to press on. If the king loses his throne, our support of him will likely cost us everything. At that point, I should be lucky to marry a cobbler, much less a wealthy merchant, so why _not_ flirt now with a young man who _has_ to be from a powerful family of some sort. It might be my only chance."

"And if I order you to stay away from him anyway?" Lord Lang asked. "With you knowing there are things going on I cannot tell you for your own safety?"

Lana's eyes began watering furiously as she knew her father was calling on her loyalty to him and her steadfast obedience to overrule her heart. Crying now, as she felt the first man she'd ever thought to love being ripped away from her for reasons she wasn't even allowed to know, Lana nodded, and choked out her answer. "Aye, _milord, _if you order it absolutely…I will obey, absolutely."

Lord Lang couldn't remember the last time Lana had referred to him as 'milord,' but it hurt. It felt to him as if she was addressing a stranger, and not the man who'd raised her since her mother's death. He knew what he had to say now would only make things worse.

"Then hear me now. Lady Lana Lang, you are hereby restricted from any and all contact with Squire Clark of Kent, until such time as I order otherwise."

Lana bobbed a hasty curtsey as she said, "Yes, milord. I will obey." She turned then and fled from the room, tear-filled eyes making it hard to see where she was running, sobs wracking her slender frame at each step, until she came out of a side door, where she slumped against the wall and slid to the earth, head in her hands, heart in pieces.

Lord Lewis Lang sat on his seat and wondered what kind of man he had become to do that to his daughter…his shyest, least man-conscious girl. _What might it have cost her to reach out to the squire? And how much harder will it be for her to open up to a man next time? _

_Damn you, Kal-El. Damn you to Hell._

_Now that her liege lord has let her down, it's time for her father to try to console her._

Lord Lang walked through the manor, looking for signs of Lana's hurried passage and asking servants if they knew where she'd gone. It took some time, but at last, he found his girl all cried out, slumped against an outside wall. Without a word, he bent his knees and scooped his daughter into his arms, to hold her close against his chest.

"There, there, Lana. I know it hurts, but the pain will fade. Maybe not tomorrow or the next day, but soon." He carried her back inside and headed for her bedroom. "Speaking of tomorrow…the reason you won't have lessons tomorrow is that we have finally received a summons from the grand duke for an audience, followed by lunch with the family."

"Don't care!" Lana mumbled.

While Lana's world was falling apart around her, Clark got back to Bruce far enough in advance of dinner that they had time for Clark's sword training. They'd skipped it the night before, in the wake of the flogging, but tonight, Bruce found his squire almost dancing across the ground.

"Things going well with Lady Lana?" Bruce asked.

"Things are going _superbly_ well with Lady Lana," Clark sang out. He busied himself pulling on some armor and then the training amulet, before turning back to face his opponent.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Squire?" Bruce asked.

"Like what?"

Bruce held up his blunted practice sword. "One of these…maybe? They've been known to make sword fighting less painful for you and more so for your opponent."

Clark blushed a furious red and headed over to the equipment racks to pick out a blunted sword for himself.

While Clark was arming himself, Bruce called out, "I have this feeling I'm going to beat the living crap out of you, for at least the first ten minutes. Probably take you that long to get your mind off Lady Lana's ass…ets."

Bruce chortled as Clark charged at him for talking about Lana like that. But true to his prediction, Bruce manhandled Clark at the outset, until a particularly sharp blow left Clark gasping for breath. That seemed to focus him on the job at hand, and the practice went much more evenly after that.

When they finished and were headed inside to wash up for the evening meal, the two men were accosted outside Bruce's room by an angry Lord Lang. He wanted to strike Clark, but remembered at the last second that hitting a Kryptonian wasn't a good idea, so he shifted his aim and threw a punch at Bruce.

Bruce could have dodged the punch, or even caught it and thrown Lord Lang to the ground, but his split-second decision was to take it square on the chin. Bruce staggered backward, and Clark instantly grabbed Lord Lang under each armpit and lifted him as high as he could before slamming him into the wall.

"Explain yourself, milord," Clark said sternly.

"Have you forgotten who you are dealing with?" Lord Lang asked angrily.

"No, but I believe you have forgotten who _you_ are dealing with. That man you just struck is my friend and mentor. Unless you can explain yourself to my satisfaction, I may allow him to return the blow."

"I've never been treated in such a way in my own home…"

"And as a guest, I've never received such poor treatment at the hands of my host."

Being called a poor host seemed to take the starch out of Lord Lang's sails, and as he sagged, Clark lowered him to the floor and took pains to dust off his back. Bruce had already risen, but was rubbing his jaw.

"I apologize, Sir Bruce," Lord Lang said. "That punch was_ meant_ for your squire. I just happened to remember that hitting him is an exercise in futility and thus hit the man responsible for his actions."

"Apology accepted." As the two men shook hands, Bruce asked, "What did Clark do?"

"My Lana. He stole her tender heart, which forced me to break it when I found out."

"Lana?" Clark said, his heart suddenly in his throat. "What have you done?"

Lord Lang's eyes narrowed as they focused on Clark. "What a father _should_ do. I've had to ban her from seeing you, since your mentor was singularly ineffective in keeping you from her."

Clark gasped like he'd been sucker punched in the gut, and then he struggled to catch a breath. "Why?"

"Because she doesn't have a chance at marrying you. Hurting her now is much preferable to waiting until everything's back to normal, and the king marries you off to some foreign princess. Lana having to watch the man she loves marry another would kill her…as it is, she won't be coming down to eat tonight."

"But is it so bad to explore what Lana and I have? People are trying to kill me. There is no guarantee I'll survive, even if my parents stop the rebellion."

"That's just another reason to stop it now. I don't want her mourning your corpse. Lord knows, she might join you in her grief."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Sisters

While Lana and Clark were dealing with their forced separation, and General Dru-Zod was chasing the king and queen somewhere in the south-central portion of Alemannia, Mara was finally completing her long journey and settling into her new home.

She had left the summer palace a week after her brother, under completely different circumstances. Since all of her ladies-in-waiting had been given to the care of the crown, the decision had been made to send them _all_ away. That made for a traveling party which would be far too large to hide once on the road, so the young women were sent where Dru-Zod couldn't follow.

Princess Mara and her entire retinue of ladies boarded the royal flagship and were sent overseas, with an escort provided by a squadron of the North Sea Fleet, to live under the protection of the King of Anglia. The king and queen knew Zod could not risk war with Anglia while still fighting to steal a crown at home, so Mara would be safe until they and her brother were dead.

One secret hope, which they hadn't dared mention to anyone, involved Mara's immense beauty and charm. They'd always hoped to secure a great alliance by giving her hand in marriage; now they hoped she might forge an alliance all by herself.

The sea voyage took the fleet nearly three weeks due to contrary winds; not a few of the noble ladies spent significant time on the voyage 'praying to the porcelain god,' as the sailors called it, due to extreme seasickness. Their frequent use of their porcelain chamber pots for vomiting made the voyage an experience most of the ladies wouldn't soon forget.

Mara was immune to the motions of the sea, as her Kryptonian biology prevented her from getting sick. So she ended up spending most of her voyage helping the young women who were supposed to be helping her. She didn't mind, as she knew the girls would do the same for her if their positions were reversed, and also, she loved having the chance to be truly useful for a change. Too many times, life at court made her feel like an ornament, not a person.

After the rough crossing, King Richard's representative took one look at the woozy women and announced they would be staying at his nearby castle to allow the ladies to rest up in preparation for the week-long journey to King Richard's current residence at his summer hunting lodge, Ludlow Castle.

Mara tried to decline the kind offer, not wanting to put anyone out on her account, but the representative, who she had learned was the Duke of Hastings, wouldn't have it.

"We've had rooms for you and all eight of your ladies ready and waiting just in case. The North Sea is known for its fickle weather, even in summer. Besides, I rarely get this much agreeable company out here in a year's time, much less all at once."

"In that case," Mara said warmly, "we shall be delighted to accept."

Mara and her ladies rested and were entertained by the Duke for more than a week at his estate before their line of carriages and the accompanying baggage train headed inland under heavy guard.

"It seems this King Richard is serious about keeping us safe," Lady Elaine said, as she looked at the large number of horsemen guarding the procession.

"I should hope so," Mara replied. "Nine ladies of the Alemanni court come for an extended visit, and the king is responsible for our safety…and then there's the marriage factor. Only two of my eight ladies are formally betrothed. That's seven marriageable women from good families, all with large dowries, none of which have ever been to this kingdom before today. I expect us to be inundated with nobles young and old who are looking for a match once we reach wherever the king has established his court."

"What about you, Mara? Isn't the prospect of marriage a little bit daunting for you?"

"Yes, it is. I'm only sixteen. I _was_ expecting a year or two of some serious courtship before Father chose someone for me. But now, I'm a little bit nervous…because of what's going on at home, I think he's advanced things a bit and sent us to one his favorite candidates for my hand. I mean, King Richard is the only royal from a nearby kingdom that's both unattached and a potentially useful ally."

"But…what about Prince Bojan from Illyria?"

"I said a _useful _ally…besides, it seems his father has made a match for him with some princess from farther east."

The journey to Ludlow Castle was supposed to take a week, and it did. The problem was, the king and his court had moved on, returning to his primary residence farther inland at Caserta Palace. That was another week's journey, which left the Alemanni ladies travel weary as their carriages slowed to a stop in front of the main entrance to the palace.

When apprised of the situation, King Richard graciously insisted on giving the ladies the remainder of that evening and all the next day to rest up before making their first appearance in front of the whole court. That gave their maids plenty of time to prepare their best dresses, after weeks of travel, to make a good first impression on the Anglish court.

Thus it was that Mara and her eight ladies took position just inside the entrance of the palace's throne room and waited for their turn. When it came, Mara led the way in a stunning cornflower blue dress that picked up the blue of her eyes. As was the current style, her dress was scooped low in front to show off her more than adequate bosom, along with the exquisite nature of her complexion.

As they started to move forward, the seneschal announced them. "Announcing Mara of the House of El, Princess of Alemannia, and her ladies-in-waiting."

Mara had trained for a moment like this all her life. Now that it was time, she strode forward confidently and elegantly, with her ladies following behind in two rows of four. All nine of them came to a stop just before Mara reached the dais and then they all curtseyed low. A low murmur rolled across the room as the people who'd heard rumors of the foreign princess' beauty learned the rumors were essentially true. At the same time, Richard rose from his throne, resplendent in black pants which were stuffed into glossy black knee-high boots, and a red jacket thickly covered with black silk brocade and walked down the three steps to the floor to stand before Mara.

The king held out his hand to Mara, and said, "Please rise, ladies." The nine women rose as one, with Mara slipping her hand into Richard's, who then raised it to his mouth and lightly brushed the backs of her knuckles with a kiss before letting go of her hand.

"Welcome to Anglia, Princess Mara. It is truly my delight to host you and your ladies for as long as you wish to stay." Mara smiled both inside and out, happy the king had been prudent enough to not say 'for as long as you _need_ to stay.'

Mara smiled genuinely at the king's statement of an unconditional welcome. Richard noticed the smile and found his eyes riveted to the Princess' face, as she began to speak, "As for myself and my ladies, your Majesty, we are deeply honored to be here and to be received by you in such a warm and personal manner. We look forward, with great pleasure, to experiencing the many delights of the Anglish court."

"Please, Princess Mara, call me Richard." That caused another low murmur to sweep the throne room.

Mara smiled warmly and artlessly, unleashing the full force of her seemingly effortless charm on the unsuspecting king. "As you wish…Richard…but please, call me Mara. I'd feel ever so awkward otherwise."

"As you wish, Mara." Not taking his eyes off the enchanting Mara for even an instant, the spellbound Richard reached behind and to the side and gestured, causing three young people to make their way to his side. They were two girls and a boy, all of whom appeared to be younger than Mara's sixteen years. Richard quickly introduced them as his siblings, Princesses Anne and Elizabeth, and Prince John.

Mara was genuinely pleased to be meeting the king's family, and directed her charm toward them. The teenage girls admired Mara's beauty and grace, while the twelve year old boy was already smitten and made no attempt to hide his interest, something Mara thought was secretly adorable. She responded to the king's introduction by asking permission to introduce her ladies, which the king readily granted. It took a couple of minutes to properly introduce all eight and make sure each one got her full share of attention. After all, Mara wanted to make sure any potential suitor knew who he was trying to court.

After enquiring about the suitability of their accommodations here in the palace, and receiving enthusiastic approval, Richard placed his staff at the disposal of the Alemanni ladies should there be anything they require. Richard then promised he'd see Mara at dinner and called court to a close.

As Richard walked out a back door and led a few close friends to a private hideaway, they all started in on him for the way he'd been looking at the admittedly gorgeous princess.

"I think the Privy Council won't have to push our dear Richard very hard any longer to get him to consider marriage," Baron Howard said.

"Yeah," replied Baron Percy, "and if he marries _this_ filly, he'll be more anxious than a stallion corralled with a mare in heat to get to work producing that long-awaited heir."

Richard wouldn't waste his breath trying to deny his obvious interest in the lady. Instead, he said, "Well…there have to be _some_ benefits to being king. If the girl is even _half_ as smart as she is beautiful and charming, I'll be sending my lawyers to her father to draw up a marriage contract before the month is over."

"That's _if_ the king survives the revolt going on right now," the first baron added. "If not, you'd have to hope her brother survives, otherwise, she becomes a ward of the Alemanni court, which puts her at the disposal of that disagreeable Lord General Dru-Zod."

"Anyone know anything about the son?" Richard asked casually.

"His name's Kal-El, and he's supposed to be huge, even for one of them. Reputed to be something of a hothead and smarter than Hell. He's also thought to be thoroughly devoted to his sister the princess."

"Smart? How do you know that?"

"Easy. In his review of our neighbors to the east before this whole mess began, your ambassador to the Alemanni court, Lord Stanley, said don't play the kid a game of chess unless you have a sincere need for a lesson in humility. He's also reputed to speak multiple languages as if native-born."

"I remember now," Richard said, smiling slightly at the old Earl's words. "I bet after his first loss, Stanley challenged the Prince to at least a dozen more matches before he accepted his losses as being no accident." Before the king and his friends disappeared into their hideaway for a short game of high stakes cards, he thought out loud, and said, "Maybe I should see if the princess plays chess. If she can play me a good game, while knowledgably talking about her parents' political situation back home, then…I may truly be in trouble."

Baron Howard shot back a smart-assed reply that got himself clouted on the ear. "My Sovereign, you were prepared to surrender, on whatever terms you could obtain, the moment that stunning young woman first opened her mouth and _smiled."_

Meanwhile, having missed dinner, a despondent Lana was dressed for sleep and reading a favorite book by candlelight propped up in her bed, when her room was unceremoniously invaded by both of her sisters.

"Okay, Shortstuff," Lois said, "what's up with skipping dinner?"

"Nothing much, Loz."

Lana had heard her sisters come in, but hadn't looked up until Lois spoke. 'Shortstuff' was a nickname Lois had used for Lana ever since they were little. Lana, in turn, had started to refer to Lois as 'Loz' since she hadn't quite been able to manage pronouncing 'Lois.' The girls hadn't used the nicknames in some time, with each having thought they were getting too grownup for such things, but tonight, they found a strange comfort in hearing them once more.

Lana set down her book, and said, "Just catching up on some reading."

Alicia looked at the book as she flopped down on the side of Lana's bed. "In this book? I know you've read it ten times…"

"At _least,"_ Lois pitched in.

"…at least," Alicia agreed, "but what's funny is, you only read it these days when you're upset. So what's got you upset?"

"Father bust your ass like he did mine?" Lois asked, before answering her own question. "No, I guess not, because sitting would _not_ be an option if he had. Not even in a feather bed."

Lana figured Lois would cuss her out if she made known her interest in Clark. Alicia had shown an appreciation for Clark's looks, but hadn't indicated if she had much of an interest in him beyond what she could see. Deciding she didn't care what either of her sisters might think right now, Lana opened up.

"Father, or maybe I should say Lord Lang, has forbidden me to see the young man I told you about the other night, Alicia."

"Where was I?" Lois asked.

"Rubbing your blistered butt," Lana replied dryly.

"Moving that fast already?" Alicia asked, plainly surprised. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Lana was getting more and more worked up as she went along. "I was just a little bit late to my afternoon tutoring session today and Father was waiting for me. He dragged me into the audience hall and sat on his chair and went all 'Baron of Roskilde' on me, absolutely _forbidding_ me to have any contact with Clark at all."

Lois and Alicia looked at each other and then back at Lana, before saying, "_Clark?!"_ in unison. Each girl was as surprised as could be to know their sister had it bad for the squire, though they had widely divergent ideas about the young man themselves.

Lois thought Lana had gone a little soft in the head, even though she herself was coming to see Clark wasn't a bad guy after all, and Alicia was surprised to learn she had competition from within the family…competition that had just been stifled by their dear old father.

Seeing an odd pair of reactions from her sisters, Lana decided at the last second to skip over Clark's near-declaration of love.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Going to Town

Breakfast the next morning was an unusual affair. Clark and Bruce got up early and ate with the cooks to avoid any unpleasantness from running into Lord Lang, or any awkwardness from meeting Lana.

The problem was, the Langs went to the dining hall early also since the girls were scheduled to undergo a lengthy prep before the family left for their audience with the grand duke.

Thus, Bruce and Clark were making their way out of the kitchen to claim a nearby table to eat their meal of sausage and oatmeal sweetened with a dab of honey, when the Langs began to walk in the double doors on the opposite side of the room one by one.

Lord Lang was first, and all three men grimaced upon seeing each other. Bruce and Clark decided to not take any chances, and both stood at their places until Lord Lang waved them back into their seats. Lois was next a minute or so later, and while the guys remained seated, they executed small seated bows in her direction. Clark's eyes quickly passed over Lois, as he'd long ago decided that ignoring her was the best way of handling her.

Alicia came in after Lois. Her bright smile at that early hour earned her an involuntary smile from both men in reply.

Lana was the last of the three. Bruce looked her over and thought she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep. Clark could feel Lord Lang's eyes on him like a touch, so he tried to avoid looking at Lana at all. She wasn't looking up as she walked and didn't see either Clark or Bruce until she nearly ran into their table on the way to get her meal.

She started to apologize, but then saw who was at the table and fled into the kitchen without another word being spoken. Having Lana run from him hurt Clark, even though he knew why. Clark stood then, suddenly feeling a need to leave before Lana came back and his mere presence caused her more pain.

Walking up to the head table where Lord Lang had just sat down, and the girls had yet to appear, Clark bowed properly, and then said, in a very quiet voice, "That young woman wanted to spend time with _me_ yesterday, which is something I don't get a lot of, but now she doesn't just avoid me, she _runs_ from my presence.

"And before you dismiss what I just said, _most_ young women of good birth that I meet don't want to spend time with _me; _they're too busy trying to figure out how to catch the Crown Prince.

"I hope you're happy with yourself, because, upon the graves of my honored ancestors, I _will_ remember this."

Lord Lang blanched when he heard that, and well he should, because while what Clark said may have sounded like a harmless threat made in the heat of the moment, any Alemanni noble would know he'd just taken a serious oath. To put the situation in the most basic terms, Clark had just put Lord Lang on his shit list.

Lois didn't hear anything that was said, but she came back out of the kitchen as the squire stalked off. She then saw how stiffly her father was sitting at the table.

"What was that all about, Father?" Lois asked. She didn't hate Clark anymore, but if he was going to be disrespecting her father, then she had no qualms with seeing him punished.

"The squire is not happy with my decision regarding himself and your sister Lana. He was just blowing off some steam."

"Must've been some potent steam."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"When he left, he still looked upset and you looked…well, you looked scared."

"Oh, you're just seeing things…likely because you still dislike the squire."

Lois continued to try probing her father, at least until Alicia came out, and while her father didn't reply in a manner she would have liked, she ended up convinced the squire was far more than just a simple squire aspiring to knighthood.

_Too bad we're already off on the wrong foot. A guy with that kind of power is just the kind of husband I need to find to help protect my sisters once father dies and his title, lands, and incomes are given to some other man._

After eating, the girls headed back up to their rooms, where they were descended upon by a bevy of housemaids. Each group was determined _their_ lady would be the most beautiful one and thus the most likely to catch a husband.

Ready and waiting for his daughters to appear, Lord Lang looked resplendent arrayed in glossy black boots, white knee-length pants that were tucked into the tops of the boots, and a purple waist-length uniform jacket with gold trim on the edges, and gold braid across the chest and up the arms from his cuffs to his elbows.

The purple and gold were house colors. If Lord Lang's small army wore their full dress uniforms, all of them would be in some sort of purple and gold uniform. The ladies, however, wore whatever colors they chose. As always, Lois was ready first in a pale pink gown, which was a safe choice since most women of the time avoided bold colors for morning social engagements. Alicia surprised her father by being next. She was usually the daughter that took forever, but today she beat Lana and was wearing a pale yellow gown. Both women had wide, square necklines to their gowns that went deep enough to show off a healthy portion of bosom along with the skin.

Lewis had always thought that strange. Women covered their legs right down to the ankles, as if a mere glimpse of leg skin would utterly compromise their reputations, but the very same dress would show so much skin up top that the most adventurous women always seemed to be on the verge of having their breasts pop out.

On the one occasion he'd tried to ask his girls about this, they just smiled at him and patted his shoulder as if he was a doddering old man who just didn't get the way things were these days. The most disturbing thing had been the fact that all three girls had done almost the same exact thing to him when he asked them.

When Lord Lang tired of waiting and wondered aloud where Lana was, the other girls were quick to tell him there had been some arguing coming from Lana's room earlier. All three of them could see what the commotion had been over when Lana appeared somberly attired in all black, with a neckline so high that it appeared to be trying to choke her.

Both Lois and Alicia nearly tripped when they saw Lana's choice of color and neckline, and their father swallowed hard before advancing on his daughter. "Are you out of your mind? Going to the grand duke's palace in all black as if it you were part of a _funeral procession? _Go back in there and take that off this instant!"

"There's no time, Father," Lois interjected. "If we wait for Lana to change, we'll all be late."

Lord Lang knew Lois was right. He also knew Lana had already known that; she'd waited to come out until it was too late to force her to change.

All the way to the carriage, the largest and fanciest one he owned, Lord Lang kept up a running commentary to Lana. "You're just doing this to get back at me for last night. Such insolence. Our _one _chance as a family to make a proper impression on the nobility of Krakovia and you have to ruin it with this stunt. I'd had hopes of making some contacts that might lead to a properly arranged marriage or two, but after a faux pas like this, we'll be lucky to receive visits from any marriageable men.

"But I promise you _this, _Lana. I will find _you_ a marriage, no matter who I must accept as my son to do it! Anything to get that damnable squire out of your head once and for all."

Lana went pale at that last statement. She was angry at that moment, possibly as angry as she had ever been. Having had enough, between the forced separation from Clark and her father's intemperate comments, she turned on her father and paid him in kind. "Don't go blaming _me_ for ruining our marriage prospects. If you could have managed to stop indulging Lois' desire to be your son long enough to be a _proper_ father and make her put away her swords two or three years ago, when it might have actually been _useful_, she would have found an eligible situation by now and you wouldn't have to worry so much about blaming me.

"So, when it comes to finding a husband, attend to my elder sister first, Father. I have two years before people start whispering 'old maid' about _me."_

It was hard for Alicia to tell which of her three family members was the most angry at this moment, but it was easy to tell who had won the argument. Lana has walking with a spring in her step that hadn't been there all morning, while their father looked like he might explode if someone touched him.

Lois had been enjoying the rare war of words between her father and Lana, right up until the point where her own name was dragged into the argument. Hearing Lana enunciate her own failures just rubbed salt into a wound Lois had only recently discovered. She knew she needed to marry. It was her duty, and it was also her duty to marry well to provide for her sisters.

_Maybe…maybe it's not too late to repair things with Squire Clark. As connected as he must be to scare Father, surely marrying him would be just the match for which I'm looking. Still, Father did end any chance of a match between Lana and Clark…I have to find out why before I continue._

Lord Lang had been caught flatfooted by his middle daughter's counterattack. That kind of fiery response is something he'd have expected from Lois, except with Lois, she'd have been too angry to think straight and would have said something that made no sense and then stormed off. But his middle daughter, his most brilliant daughter, wasted no time in hitting him right where it would hurt the most: his dereliction of duty when it came to Lois.

It all went back to the beginning. Lord Lang's first wife, Lady Maria, had died in childbirth and the baby was stillborn. Six months later he'd married Lady Laura, the widow of a neighboring count and had adopted the woman's child as his own. That was Lois, who was barely one at the time. Lana had been born a year later, and Lady Laura had died shortly thereafter. It was thought her delivery had weakened her enough to make her susceptible to whatever illness it was that had taken her.

Then came his third wife, Lady Anne, who was Alicia's mother. He'd been getting nervous about a male heir by that time, and had been pressing his new wife for a boy. Not only had they been talking about it, but it had been a major topic of conversation among the servants.

Lois had been four years old at that time and was just old enough to understand that, as much as her father seemed to love her, what he _really_ wanted was a boy. It was the first time in young Lois' life that she had felt inadequate. She'd cried herself to sleep that night, and many thereafter, and had watched her father anxiously when he learned her stepmother had given birth to a girl.

_Not another damn girl! _had been his angry reply.

For that moment on, Lois had tried her best to be the son her father wanted so desperately. The nursemaids had tried to put a stop to it, but Lord Lang had been told Lois had been crushed to learn that being a girl wasn't good enough, so he decided to leave her be, especially after Lady Anne died a year later.

When pushed by his advisors to marry yet again, Lord Lang hedged. He didn't want to do that to Lois again and make her feel even less worthy. Then there was Lana to consider. She would be old enough by the time another baby could come, and she would begin to understand that the premium placed on male children meant she wasn't considered to be good enough either. The girls were Lewis' life now, so as much as he wanted a son to carry on the family name, and to follow him as Baron of Roskilde, he couldn't put his girls through that…he decided three wives were enough.

Lois didn't know that though. She was still determined to be Lewis' son, to finally be 'good enough' in his eyes. Over the years, she threw herself into swordplay, horsemanship, even wrestling until her body began to develop and her father banned it. Anything that would make her more like the boy her father had so desperately wanted.

Lewis had thought himself as being kind to allow Lois to have her way in this, but ever since the beating of Squire Clark, he'd realized he had done her no favors by allowing her such freedom. He now had very limited time to try and get her to soften her edges in the slim hope he could find someone who wouldn't mind a rough-hewn wife like her.

Having Lana publicly delineate his failure as Lois' father just rubbed salt in an already festering wound, both because she was right, and because it was Lana who said it. Now that he had to deal with Lana's seeming infatuation with the prince, along with Lois' difficulties, he was just _waiting_ for Alicia to develop some kind of problem.

Just before stepping outside, all four Langs were covered with dust cloaks and caps for the ride into Varshova on the well-traveled and dusty main road. The ride itself was made in nearly complete silence, with the only sound being the jangling armor of six knights and fourteen other horsemen, after Alicia's one abortive attempt at starting a conversation with anyone who would speak.

The city of Varshova was not only the capital city of Krakovia, but also one of the largest seaports on the continent. The grand duchy was small, but had a relatively enormous income due primarily to being a major sea trading power. But that income didn't lead to an overly wealthy land, as much of that income was needed to support an army large enough to discourage any of Krakovia's neighbors from invading and claiming that income for themselves.

Lord Lang knew the House of El hoped their son would be able to marry Princess Chloe and thus claim that land and that income for Alemannia, but today, he and his daughters were getting their first look at the city. It was the first look the three women had ever had of any capital city, and they were gawking like country bumpkins at the sheer size of the place. The capital of the their father's barony was a bump in the road by comparison.

Not only was Varshova larger, it was louder, smellier, and more crowded. The good thing was that getting lost when looking for the Slonce Palace was generally impossible since the main road into town ran arrow-straight to the docks. From there, the palace was just visible at the far end of an elevated promontory south of the harbor.

The lightly gilded, black lacquered carriage made its way up the winding cobblestone road to the palace and in through the wrought iron gate. The pathway straightened out once inside the gate, and the carriage rolled through nearly a mile of lightly wooded parkland before reaching the palace proper.

As the four visitors alighted from the carriage, and handed their dust cloaks and caps to the liveried servants who had rushed out to meet them, Lord Lang spoke for the first time since receiving his dressing down from Lana.

"Slonce Palace." Lewis breathed in deeply. "It's supposed to mean 'Sun Palace' in the language of the palace's original builders. But until you see how readily the white, marble-faced walls reflect any stray beam of light, you just _can't_ appreciate the name."

The four Langs climbed the wide steps of the formal entrance into the palace, passing a matched pair of formally armed and armored pikemen every tenth step. By the time they reached to doors, Lord Lang turned to his three girls, and said, "You think this palace is something? Wait until I finally take you all to Königsberg. The winter palace inside the city exceeds this palace the way this palace exceeds Roskilde Castle back home. And as for the sprawling summer palace, it's _truly _a sight to behold."

Thus fortified with the knowledge that this palace was nothing out of the ordinary, the three girls followed their father through the doors and into the Entrance Hall, where they were greeted by a flurry of servants who rushed forward with damp cloths to help them cool down, refresh themselves, and wipe their hands while they waited for their audience.

Once the servants were done, Grand Duke Charles' majordomo stepped forward to greet them and make sure of their personal information so that their introductions went smoothly. The man then pointed toward some comfortably padded seats to one side, and said, "Please rest here. The grand duke will be with you in a moment."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Trapped

Lord Lang settled in for a long wait. The majordomo had said 'a moment,' but Lewis had been around long enough to know people were always told that no matter how long the anticipated wait might be. He knew leaders tended to assume other people would bend their schedules to accommodate the schedules of those same leaders…and since those 'other people' wanted royal attention, they did bend their schedules.

In this case, however, Lord Lang's pessimism was unfounded, as the grand duke had a light schedule and it literally wasn't much more than a moment before the Langs were ushered down a long hallway and into the throne room.

Lord Lang led his daughters across the parquet floor and in between the narrow, fluted columns on the way to the raised dais, and as they reach their position, the majordomo's voice rang out. "Your Graces, may I present to your Lord Lewis Lang, fourteenth Baron of Roskilde, and his three daughters: Lady Lois, Lady Lana, and Lady Alicia."

Lewis bowed low and held it, and each girl used and held her most elegant curtsey when she was named. Meanwhile, the introduction went on.

"You are supplicants before the Pearl Throne, held by Charles II Ambrecht, Defender of the Realm, Admiral of the North Sea, and by the Grace of God, Grand Duke of Krakovia. With him are his lady wife, Grand Duchess Sophia, and his children Princess Chloe and Prince Harold."

"You may rise," Charles said. The Langs did just that and both sides got a good look at the other. "No sons, Lord Lang? Or just not on this trip?"

"None, your Grace." There was no trace in Lewis' voice of the old heartache over having no sons. It was just a statement of fact.

"But three lovely daughters. I expect your manor will be a popular destination, especially with so many families coming back to the city for the fall and winter months. There never seem to be enough women to go around." Charles looked back over his shoulder to where his son, Prince Harold, was standing. "Isn't that right my boy?"

"And so it is, Father," Harold replied.

"Now," Charles said, "before we move on to the important things, like why you've suddenly moved your household to a manor just outside my capital, tell me why the middle girl…"

"Lady Lana, your Grace," the majordomo supplied.

"…Lady Lana is dressed from head to toe in black."

"She has recently suffered a…a personal setback, and has chosen to make her unhappiness official," Lewis said.

"Sounds like boy trouble to me," Charles replied. He thought for a second and then reached behind himself and gestured for his son to come forward and join them. "I know just the thing." When Prince Harold reached his father's side, he carefully stayed one step behind his father, but was still able to see and be seen by all the Langs. "I don't know if you've heard of it or not, but the first and biggest event on our fall and winter social calendar each year is the Harvest Ball. It's really a formal dinner followed by a ball, but the thing is, Harold here needs an escort…and Lady Lana appears to need a distraction. So what if we match my Harold and your Lana for the Harvest Ball?"

Lord Lang didn't even have to think. Saying no would be a direct insult to the most powerful man in the land, and accepting would give Lana something to look forward to other than Clark. "Yes, your Grace. I believe that idea will work out well."

"Excellent, excellent!" Prince Harold and Lady Lana just stared at each other. This was the way of life among the nobility, but having it happen to you could still be unsettling. "While we discuss business, why don't we let my son and your daughters get to know each other out in the water garden."

"Again, your Grace, a most excellent idea."

Grand Duke Charles signaled and Harold lead the three Lang ladies through a labyrinthine series of passageways to a stunning garden that centered around a series of fountains and man-made waterfalls that tumbled one into the next down the side of a hill. On each side of the line of water features was a wide, smooth, paved walkway and carefully laid and leveled stone steps.

When Prince Harold asked if the ladies would like any refreshment, Lois answered in the affirmative just to have a few seconds alone with Lana. Harold walked off to find a servant, and Lois turned to Lana and said, "Talk about luck! You show up at the palace in mourning garb and will walk out of here as the escort of the most eligible bachelor in the whole grand duchy!"

"So much for the squire," Alicia added. "Once Lana turns on the charm, and once she wears a dress that's even halfway becoming, Prince Harold will be begging his father to make a more permanent match with her."

"Prince Harold is handsome, and he's as well-mannered as you'd expect a man of his breeding to be," Lana said, "but we all know the likelihood of that match is somewhere between slim and none…in any case, I have to admit the prince has a _long_ way to go to live up to the squire…" Lana had been looking at both of her sisters and saw something there when she mentioned 'the squire.' She decided to put it all on the table. "…who we _all_ believe is more than just a lowly squire hoping to earn a knighthood." _How much more is the question._

When Prince Harold reentered the water garden, Lana got a better look at him and had to admit he was easy on the eyes. Only slightly taller than Lois, with sandy blonde hair worn in a bristly cut, graced with a strong, square jaw line, and what appeared to be a slim, athletic figure, most women could only dream of finding someone halfway interesting who looked like him, but Lana was stuck with the feeling he would never be more than second best. Her fear, though a small one, was that the grand duke would somehow find her to be an acceptable match for his son. She knew if the grand duke proposed a marriage between Prince Harold and herself, her father would agree to it in a heartbeat.

The three girls circled the entire length of the garden with Harold, and all of them spent time getting to know him, but by silent agreement, Lana did most of the talking as she was going to be attending the Harvest Ball with him in slightly less than a month's time.

While the Langs were making inroads on the Krakovian social scene, King Jor-El and Queen Lara were nearing the end of their long road. Instead of fleeing directly for their mountain refuge, they led Dru-Zod's forces on a merry chase designed to prolong things to give their supporters as much time as possible to organize and supply their own army.

Their escort was provided by a full regiment of the household cavalry, and Zod's army could not hope to keep up, much less draw closer, so he left his infantry and heavy cavalry behind and pushed on ahead with his fast-moving light cavalry in the hope of catching the king and queen on the open road and capturing them.

Zod's small column of cavalry finally spotted its quarry less than a day's ride from Mecklenberg Castle, a large, well-supplied castle perched on a wedge of rock high above the city of Salzerei. It was the home of the Duke of Salzerei, a strong supporter of the king, and was well-known to have green-Kryptonite scattered in strategic locations to keep Kryptonians from breaking in whenever they felt like it.

Zod's scouts had found no sign of a concentration of loyalist forces anywhere nearby, letting Zod know this flight by the king and queen was a decoy, meaning the opposition army could be anywhere. His own army was strung out over seventy-five miles of road, and he had some hard work ahead of himself to get his army back in a cohesive unit before they were attacked by the loyalists and destroyed a piece at a time.

Since Zod needed to concentrate his forces, he had two options at his disposal for dealing with the king and queen. He could either capture the Els before they reached the castle, or else he'd have to leave a part of his army around the castle to lay siege to it. The first choice was much preferred by Zod, but it came with risks. His fast-moving light cavalry would be able to catch the Els' large, slow moving carriage and the household cavalry that was guarding it. The problem was, his men and horses were already worn out by the long chase, and even if they were healthy and well-rested, they wouldn't be able to match up with the household cavalry in a pitched battle.

So, the only way Zod could possibly capture the king and queen was to use a number of his Kryptonian followers. The plan was to have a couple of them to fly down and use their heat vision on the horses of the troops both in front and behind the royall carriage. Four more Kryptonians would swoop in close behind, disconnect the carriage from the horses, and carry the carriage into the air and back to Zod himself, with the first two Kryptonians standing by in case the king and queen try to leap out of their carriage and fly away.

Taking one last look at the household cavalry with a combination of his telescopic vision and x-ray vision to make sure none of the king's soldiers were hiding lumps of green Kryptonite to disable any Kryptonian attackers, Zod called his Kryptonian followers together and briefed the six volunteers on the mission, calling it 'absolutely vital' and 'a potentially war-ending exercise,' and then sent them out. He had briefly thought of going on the mission himself, as he wanted to be in on the capture, but he reluctantly stayed behind when one of his men pointed out it was a general's job to stay behind the lines and direct the combat, not to participate directly.

The six volunteers soared into the sky, and Zod looked on with his telescopic sight to follow the action. He knew something was wrong the instant the first two Kryptonians dove toward the household cavalry and seemed to have trouble with their heat vision before falling to the ground. They were writhing in pain, and were instantly surrounded by mounted soldiers who prevented them from crawling out of range of the green Kryptonite.

Desperate now, Zod tried to call back his most loyal, most powerful troops, but the last four were right behind the first two, and had already crash-landed, one next to each corner of the carriage, which had come to a stop. As those four were in even more pain than the first two, Zod could only conclude the Kryptonite was in the carriage, but that made no sense, unless the king and queen weren't in the carriage at all.

He x-rayed the carriage, and found the truth was more devious than that. Hidden in numerous concealed niches around the edge of the carriage were chunks of green Kryptonite, but when he tried to see into the carriage itself, he found his vision blocked, as if by lead. Since the outside of the carriage was plainly wood, someone had gone to an immense amount of trouble to line the _inside _of the carriage with lead.

General Dru-Zod, Duke of Walachia and hero of the last two wars with Franconia, had been tricked. Not once, but twice, by a man and woman who had never set foot on an active battlefield in their lives. First, he's been snookered into sending his whole army after them, wearing them out and using up valuable supplies, and now he had lost six irreplaceable Kryptonians, and had almost lost himself and the war with it. He watched with ill-concealed rage as his six volunteers were roughly bound and taken away, likely to be executed as soon as they reached the castle and could have a semblance of a proper trial.

Unwilling to waste any more men on foolhardy missions, Zod set about to planning the siege of the castle and particularly, to deciding how many men of what type it would take to keep the Els and everyone else locked up inside.

Up ahead in the carriage, the Els smiled at the success of the trap they had laid, but wished Zod had been one of the six. With him in their possession, the war would be over, but even so, taking six Kryptonians captive would seriously hamper Zod's war efforts.

"All in all, Jor-El," Queen Lara said, smugly, "a pretty good day's work."

"Yes it was. I wonder what Kal-El will think when he learns just how well his trap worked."

"_His_ trap?" Lara was surprised. She'd never heard of her son's role in planning this trap.

"Yes, his," Jor-El assured her. "He had this idea years ago, and when the arms master repeated it to me, I just requisitioned the laborers, material, and money necessary and then let them go about their business."

"So our son is showing a mind for small-unit tactics. Interesting." Once the prisoners were secure, the column got underway again and moved on into the castle, leaving Zod and his followers behind.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The New Dancing Master

By the time Grand Duke Charles finished with Lord Lang and they all gathered for a rather lengthy lunch, Harry had made a promise to come out to the manor to call on Lana so they could get to know each other better before the ball.

This ball promised to be the biggest social event of Lana's life, and because she didn't _seriously_ think there was a snowball's chance in Hell she'd actually end up betrothed to Prince Harold, she was determined to enjoy the ball…even if there _was_ someone else she'd prefer to be going with.

Lana couldn't help but be excited to have an invitation to the Harvest Ball, especially this early so she could have plenty of time to work with the family's dressmakers to come up with something that would match the occasion and live up to the high rank of her escort. All of the girls had been told by their father about how exclusive the Harvest Ball was, and they had all despaired getting in without having a strong network of local connections already in place.

As the Langs climbed back into the carriage, Lord Lang pulled Lana aside, and said, "I know you didn't intend it, but your all black won you a most prestigious honor. Even if nothing happens between you and the prince, every eligible man of consequence will see you on Prince Harold's arm, making you all the more attractive to them."

"Good for _them, _Father, not good for me. I still want Clark."

"We all want things we cannot have. The sooner we recognize what those things are, the sooner we can move on to the things we _can_ have."

As their guard formed up around the carriage for the short trip to the Alemanni ambassador's residence, a veil of silence descended over the carriage's inhabitants once more.

Lord Eduard Pierzynski was the ambassador, just as Lord Lang had thought several days earlier. His main job was acting as the conduit of the king's will as relates to Krakovia and its court. He would much rather be back home on his various estates in the County of Ellsinore, but duty called, and so did the king, leading the count to live here instead. The count was a genial host, but the stop was just the courtesy call due to the king's representative from a loyal noble passing through.

The best part of the courtesy call was that Lord Lang received the first official news that Zod was on the move back home. He knew any news they received would be hopelessly out of date due to the distances involved, but still, knowing that their side lived on was nice to hear.

As the Lang carriage turned off the road and entered the manor's property, the guard detachment peeled off and headed for their part of the complex, while the carriage pulled to a halt at the manor's front door. Alicia and Lois headed inside, but Lord Lang held Lana back and pulled her to one side of the manor to talk privately.

"What I have done to you and to Squire Clark was to keep you from having your heart broken in a relationship that I believe has nowhere to go." Lewis looked at the ground and aimlessly kicked at a clump of dirt. He then tilted his head up enough to see Lana with one eye. "But it's too late for you, isn't it? You already care for him."

Lana hesitated briefly and then nodded. "Yes, Father, I do. Greatly, and I don't really know why."

"I should have guessed this would happen. The girl who seemingly had no time for boys _would_ be the one to fall hard and fast for the first boy to break through her defenses."

Sensing an opening, Lana pushed. "Who is he that he's such an impossible match? Lois, Alicia, and I _all_ know he's more than just a simple squire dreaming of a being a knight."

"I think you girls know more than might be healthy for you, and as for the squire's identity, that's a secret that is not mine to tell…and for the love you bear me, Lana, _let that secret be."_

"And if I told you I have seen the Squire with some special kind of necklace he only wears during training in the waryard?"

Lord Lang looked skyward and covered his face with the palms of both hands as he rubbed his face. "You are _determined_ to drive me to an early grave, aren't you?"

"No, Father," Lana said, "I just happened to see it one day."

"Well…if you can't manage to forget what you saw, please don't tell anyone else you saw it." He looked back at Lana, his face as serious as death. "Someone's life could depend on it."

"Now…as much as I would like to keep you away from the squire, I can't. Not any longer. Not after what happened today." Lana smiled giddily, unable to keep herself from expressing her joy upon hearing that reluctant statement.

"Don't smile _yet, _Daughter," Lewis said testily. "You don't know what's going on." Lana calmed down and her father continued. "The grand duke told me a few things once we were alone. He already knows all about our dancing master. It turns out the name the man gave me was false. He is actually the third son of a locally powerful family, the Van Wyks. The man's father is the younger brother of the Duke of Alfaro, who ranks right below the grand duke here in Krakovia."

"Was the dancing master sent here as a spy then?" Lana asked.

"Mmm…a spy of sorts, yes. He was tasked with learning all he could about you and your sisters. Apparently the Duke wanted to know what you all were really like before sounding me out about arranging a match or two. He didn't want any of his sons or nephews to get stuck with a disagreeable wife."

"So…you had Clark beat the nephew of this Duke, and they want to take revenge?"

"Yes, but not on Clark. Apparently the duke's family believes Clark was just carrying out orders, and is thus not who they want. They want revenge on our family. Once I explained the events of the other night to the grand duke, he agreed that the insult had to be punished, but then said the duke's family would see it as having been excessive."

Lana was outraged, and planted angry fists on her hips. "And if Clark had referred to the duke's daughter as a drunken whore?"

"The very same question I asked," Lewis said. "The grand duke said the duke would have, without doubt, had anyone who so insulted the honor of one of his daughters killed."

"What a double standard!"

"They are a proud family and very prickly about their honor. As you will be our representative at the ball, I fear any attempt at retrieving their honor will be directed at you in some way, so I give you extra guards wherever you go, while you will need to redouble your efforts at polishing your skills."

"Ah…that's how Clark fits into this. You're obviously going to send the 'dancing master' packing, and finding someone else to be the new master might take time, time we don't have, so you'll make a virtue out of a necessity and ask the squire to step in and teach us as best he can."

"_Ask?_ The next time I ask a squire of my household to do me a favor will be the first. I'll _tell_ Sir Bruce that his squire is the new dancing master forthwith. And you, my dear, will be spending extra time every day working on dances with him…pairs dances, group dances…" Lewis fished into his jacket, and pulled out a thick sheet of paper, "…anything that's on this sheet."

Lana snatched the sheet from her father and read the list minutely. "How did you get this?"

"I asked the grand duke if he knew what kinds of dances you might be expected to know. Instead of guessing, he did one better and sent for his chief musician who wrote out a list of each dance that was on his list."

"I only know half of these well enough to dance them properly," Lana said, as she returned the list to her father.

"Well then, the squire has his work cut out for him, and you can tell him I said so."

"What?"

"Don't 'what' me." Lord Lang smiled indulgently. "I can already tell you intend to go straight from talking to me, to finding a certain squire." Lana grinned widely. "Please, just be careful. Don't make things worse, it will only hurt more when it's over. Trust me on that one."

"I'll try, Father," Lana promised, "but I have this feeling that fighting love is like fighting quicksand…the harder you struggle, the faster you sink."

"Get on with you then."

Lana bobbed a quick curtsey and hurried off because she wanted to see Clark before the evening meal. She wanted to be the one to tell him that they could see each other again. In through the front, out through the back, and then over to where she knew Clark and Bruce did their sword work. She finally slowed to a walk and caught her breath, as she didn't want to give the impression that she, a _lady, _was chasing after a man.

As Lana drew near, she didn't hear the clank of swords or raised voices, so she thought she was too late. And then she heard Bruce call out loudly.

"I have enough water now, Squire. Get some for yourself, but be quick about it, the kitchen staff will have a meal ready any time, now that Lord Lang and his daughters are home."

Clark didn't answer Bruce, but Lana knew where the well was and turned toward it.

When Clark wore the training amulet for a workout, not only was he slow and susceptible to injury like humans, but he also got hot and sweated like humans. And after the beating he'd just taken, due in _part,_ he thought, to the thoughts of Lana that had filled his head after the morning run in he'd had with her father, he was still hot and sweaty and feeling disgusting.

Now that Bruce was satisfied for the evening, Clark took off his sweat-soaked shirt and draped it on the edge of the well before cranking up a bucketful of cool water for himself. He set the bucket of water down on the ground and squatted over it to scrub the dirt and dried blood from his hands and arms. Clark examined his knuckles and found nary a scar to show where the cut he'd gotten had been located. He then washed off his face, and poured out the rest of the now dirty water on the ground.

Returning to the well, Clark put the bucket back on the rope and cranked it down into the water before pulling up another bucket of clean, cool water. He planned on using this bucket to dump over his head, chest, and back to try and rinse off the accumulated sweat and grime.

He heard someone coming, and said, "I'll be with you in just a minute, Sir Bruce," as he poured the bucket on his chest, up over the top of his head and then down his back. Turning toward the sound he'd heard a few seconds ago, Clark looked up expecting to see Bruce, and was stunned to see it was Lana.

Lana had just come around a corner and was surprised, too. Her first sight was of water cascading down a heavily muscled male back before drenching the top of his trousers. When the man turned, she saw it was Clark, complete with wet, tousled black hair and a glistening, massively muscular chest. _Oh…my…God!_

Clark saw Lana in her funereal black dress, and his first thought was: _Who died? _That moment was fleeting though, as he took in not just her unrivaled beauty, but the way she glowed as she stood there dry washing her hands. He realized then that she had come to see _him,_ she was smiling, and she was happy, and…and…and…

…and that's when rational thought stopped for Clark. His eyes met hers and he reveled in the simple fact that she was_ here,_ with him.

Lana had a brief difficulty breathing just after catching sight of Clark's wet hair and bare, wet, muscular…and bare chest. _Yes, definitely have to say bare twice! _Lana thought. Just as she was finding herself having decidedly unladylike thoughts, her eyes traveled back up to Clark's face and were caught by his, and…

…that's when Lana quit thinking also. She felt like she was all of ten years old and had just noticed for the first time that boys were different and that different was _good._

The young couple just stood there staring at each other, unwilling, or unable, to break their eye contact. They might have stood there all night, except Bruce had Clark's clean shirt in his hands and had come looking for him. Rounding the same corner Lana had come around, he just stood there watching the two of them making googly eyes at each other from only a few feet away. He tried clearing his throat to get someone to notice him, but to no avail.

Finally, Bruce threw the clean shirt and hit Clark in the face. "Squire! I strongly suggest you quit eyeing the lady and spend your time getting dressed. You are a disgrace for being half naked in a lady's presence."

_That_ made both Clark and Lana jump, and while a redfaced Clark tried to stuff himself into his shirt, Lana smiled briefly at Bruce and headed into the manor, forgetting all about telling Clark about his new duty.

"Damn it, Clark!" Bruce said when Lana was gone. "You know she's off limits. Quit trying to piss off her old man."

"I don't think she's off limits any more, Bruce."

"Why the Hell not?"

Remembering the way she'd run from him at breakfast, Clark said, "She came out here, looking for _me_…and she was smiling."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Admission

Clark and Lana openly eyed each other from across the dining hall at the evening meal, but Clark didn't find out about his new duty until just before he went to the bedroom to prepare it to Bruce's liking for a night's sleep. Clark was pleased with the assignment, mainly because it was the reason Lord Lang was allowing him to see Lana again.

What he wasn't happy about was knowing _why_ Lana needed his immediate help. The very idea that he was going to be working hard to get her ready to attend such a major function with _someone else_ was going to be a serious irritant. Knowing her escort was going to be a friend of his like Harry only made things worse.

Clark knew a lot about Harry. He was considered by the younger ladies of the Alemanni court to be handsome, intelligent, witty, and maybe just the slightest bit overaggressive, as if he knew exactly how charming he was and how good of a catch we was and intended to play it for all it was worth. He'd charmed most of the younger ladies, and even a few of the older ones, if rumors were true, but he'd completely failed to charm the one woman he had been sent to possibly match up with.

Clark's sister Mara basically despised him. Since that was so rare for her, and because he implicitly trusted her judgment of people, it made him wonder what hidden character defect Harry might have that he himself had failed to see. Trusting him with Lana was _not_ going to be easy.

As if dealing with Harry being Lana's escort wasn't enough, being the one responsible for getting her ready for such a major social appearance was going to be a bit stressful. He only hoped he could be a good teacher without driving her away from him by becoming overbearing or too exacting.

When Lord Lang told Bruce and Clark about the new assignment, and after Clark had gone off to start his bedtime preparations, Lord Lang pulled Bruce aside in an empty room and unburdened himself.

"I hardly know what to do anymore, Sir Bruce. Lana has received this _huge_ opportunity that I couldn't turn down even if I wanted to, but for her to make the most of it, I have to allow her to see the only person who can help her, who also happens to be a young man I'm supposed to be helping you protect from everything, including himself.

"If those two fall in love with each other, I will have failed them _both,_ and yet, Lana already admits she has strong feelings for Clark."

"Don't look at me," Bruce replied. "I'm a bachelor, so dealing with kids is not a strong suit of mine. And as for stopping them from falling in love, you might as well give it up. I knew Clark had feelings for Lana before tonight, but I saw those two stare at each other without saying a word, and yet they seemed to be communicating quite nicely anyway. If they're not in love, they're on the verge.

And then, completely contradicting his assertion that dealing with kids wasn't his strongest suit, Bruce gave Lord Lang some advice. "As for what to _do,_ don't."

"What?"

"Don't do anything. Those two are just kids. Chances are one of them will grow tired of this attraction sooner or later without your help or hindrance. Teenagers are like that. If so, your daughter will admire you for letting her be an adult _and_ admit there was some wisdom in your advice. If not, the king will end things soon enough on his own and you won't have to alienate your daughter."

"But why? I _want_ to save my daughter from this kind of heartbreak. As her only parent, it's my job."

"She's old enough to marry now, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then she's old enough to make adult mistakes and accept their consequences." Bruce paused, and then added, "Besides, I don't…don't ever consider falling in love to be a mistake, at least not on a personal level."

"What do you mean?"

Bruce gave a faltering smile. "It was just something told to me once by someone I trusted a lot. 'It is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.'" Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "If you're going to end up marrying her off to someone she may not even _like,_ much less love, then give her a chance to experience the overwhelming power of love now."

"Doing nothing is the scariest course of 'action' there is to take," Lewis admitted somberly, "for in doing so, you recognize your helplessness, surrender to it in fact, instead of maintaining the illusion of control. Humph. Okay, I guess I'll let Lana go, but I'm still going to look for a husband for her."

The next day seemed to drag by for both Clark and Lana. Clark at least had morning hand-to-hand combat practice to give him something to occupy his mind for awhile, and then had to practice first with Lois for two hours.

Lana spent those two hours after breakfast consulting with the family's dressmakers on styles and fabrics she might choose for her ball gown. By the time she was ready for her turn with Clark, Lana and the dressmakers had decided she needed to go into Varshova to do some shopping.

Lana had thought of dressing up special for her lesson with Clark, but thought better of it, deciding she'd rather look demure and in control instead of too eager. She walked in just as Lois left, and was surprised to see her sister smiling faintly.

"What happened with Lois?" Lana asked.

"Why?"

"She looked faintly happy when I passed her."

"Oh," Clark said, as he looked away from Lana's eyes. "Lady Lois finally decided to apologize to me in a meaningful way. She really meant it, and I was touched by the way she did it. That's all."

"Oh, okay."

Clark dismissed Lois from his mind and focused entirely on Lana. "I have a lot to say to you this morning, Lana, and I hardly know where to start."

"This sounds serious."

"It is." The two of them were standing a mere foot apart, when Clark decided to take a mild risk by reaching out and taking her hands in his. "I know this is forward of me, and I hope you're not offended," Clark said, as Lana's heart soared, "but, I have some feelings, some very _strong_ feelings, for you, and yet I've been tasked to be your new dancing master…"

"Oh, Clark!" Lana's face blossomed with joy to hear him say what she already knew to be true. She couldn't wait for him to finish what he wanted to say. She just _couldn't,_ not without assuring him she felt the same way. "I…me too. Every time I look at you or hear your voice, my heart melts just a little bit more."

Clark smiled out of one corner of his mouth, as he unconsciously pulled Lana closer. "I know what you mean. I don't know how I'll handle four hours a day of dancing with you and talking with you and looking at you, because I have trouble breathing just standing next to you."

Lana stepped closer, so close in fact that the only thing left between them were their clasped hands. She looked up into Clark's sea green eyes with her hazel ones, wishing with all her might that Clark would kiss her.

Clark saw Lana's eyes seem to grow larger and warmer as she drew close. It felt to him as if he was teetering on the edge of a precipice and her eyes were inviting him to take the leap into the unknown.

An image flashed into his mind then. He could just imagine someone watching from the open doorway and running off to tell Lord Lang, who would undoubtedly change his mind _again_ and not only ban them from seeing each other, but send Lana back to Roskilde. _Lana and I have to show that we can handle this freedom responsibly, _Clark thought, _ and not just start kissing the first moment we get a chance to be alone. _So he pulled back. He felt in his bones there'd be a right time and place to kiss Lana, but this wasn't it. Trying to pretend he hadn't been about to kiss her, Clark went back to what he had intended to say.

"What I was trying to say, Lana, was that I've been tasked to be your new dancing master, though that's a very loose use of the term when applied to me. We'll be together four hours a day working on your dancing. I'm worried what four hours a day of me correcting you will do to the way you feel about me." Clark sighed. "I'm afraid of becoming overbearing or an annoying perfectionist and driving you away even as I improve your dancing."

Disappointed by not receiving the kiss she'd so desperately wanted, Lana listened to Clark's concerns about the potential fallout from his new position in their relationship. She wanted to reach up with one hand in the middle of his explanation and stop him from speaking, but she patiently waited for him to lay out his unfounded fears.

"Clark? I probably will get mad at you from time to time. I can guarantee I'll get frustrated a lot as you try to help me. I will _not,_ however, hold it against you once we are done for the day, because I know you have a job to do, and it's one you've never done before.

"And as for driving me away," Lana stood on her tiptoes, placing her lips as close to his as she could on her own, and whispered, "I'm difficult to attract, but even harder to drive away."

Clark's mouth went dry, and he suddenly couldn't remember why he hadn't kissed her yet, but he knew it was important and he held onto that conviction with a tenacious grip to keep from taking Lana in his arms right then and there.

The best part of the way their dancing was scheduled was that they worked together for two hours and then broke for lunch, giving Lana a much needed rest, and allowing Lana and Clark to eat together without anyone raising an eyebrow over it. Then they headed back to what everyone now called the dancing room for another two hours of instruction. On their way back, Clark swallowed his distaste for the fact Lana was attending the ball with someone else, and asked her if she had a suitable gown for the Harvest Ball yet.

"No, not yet anyway. I spent a couple of hours discussing options with our dressmakers and we came to the conclusion that I need to go shopping for several bolts of fine material."

"Seed pearls? Diamond chips? Thread of silver, thread of gold?"

"Where did you learn about things like that, Clark?"

"Once you meet my sister and see her closets, you'll know."

"Closets?"

Clark nodded his head in affirmation. "Closets."

"Well, I don't know if tiny gemstones or precious metals are in the budget. I'll have to see what they cost and then ask my father."

_Don't worry, Lana, _Clark thought. _If he says no, I'll break my bank plate out of my traveler's belt and buy the gems myself. My girl is going to be the belle of the ball, no matter what it costs._


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Shopping

The next day, Lana arranged with her father to head into Varshova along with one of the dressmakers to look for fabric. They took along a locally-hired housemaid mostly to be able to find the finest shops without getting lost half a dozen times in the big city.

Lord Lang, in turn, lived up to his promise and ordered his guard captain to assign a dozen armored horsemen, including a couple of knights, to guard his daughter on her shopping trip. Alicia decided to tag along at the last minute, and Lana was glad to have her company, as she was so excited that she needed someone with whom to talk to relieve her nerves.

Alicia watched quietly as Lana and the dressmaker looked at various fabrics and colors in several shops, and then they swung by a couple of dress shops to see if there were any new styles that might look particularly good on Lana's slender physique.

Lana also did as she'd told Clark she would and checked on the price of the various precious metals and gems that could be used for adornment, but she was aghast at the prices, and knew without thinking she would have to do without.

The four women and their escort made it home in time for a late lunch of cold leftovers, before Lana scurried upstairs for an abbreviated dancing lesson with Clark.

"Did you find the fabrics you want, Lana?"

"Yeah, one place had some really good stuff at reasonable prices, but not in the quantities we need. They told us to come back in a couple of days and they would have what we needed."

"Why so long?"

"I don't know. Maybe they have a warehouse that they can't access too easily, or maybe that's when a ship is supposed to come into the harbor."

"What about the fancy stuff I asked about?"

Lana sighed. "I'd love to have it, but buying enough to make a difference is super expensive. I'm just going to have to do without."

Clark already knew he was going to buy her whatever she wanted, he just had to get himself invited. "Take me with you, Lana. Please?"

"You want to come shopping?"

"Not really, but I want to spend time with you, and I can even help carry the cloth you buy."

Lana rolled her eyes. "You do know we have footmen to handle the fabric for us, don't you?"

"Yeah, I was pretty sure you did, but I thought it was worth a try."

Lana assumed the first position for the dance they had ended with yesterday, and Clark stepped back to check her foot positioning. "You're a natural."

"What?"

"You do this like you were born to it." Lana blushed. "You show very little awkwardness or clumsiness when I introduce something new, and once you've learned something, your movements become effortless."

"It must just be the quality of the instruction I'm receiving," Lana said.

Clark snickered. "Yeah. If that was the truth, you'd be staggering around here like a peg-legged pirate."

Lana started laughing at the mental image of her trying to dance that way and lost her positioning. "Quit making me laugh."

"Quit laughing at me." Clark gave Lana a goofy smile which only made her laugh harder. "So, are you going to let me come shopping next time?"

"Okay. You can come. I guess we'll just have to wait for you to finish Lois' dancing lesson before we leave."

"Thanks."

Two days later, Clark was ready. He wore one of the nice sets of clothing that had been given to him for dancing and for special occasions, but as he prepared to board the carriage with Lana and the dressmaker, Bruce pulled him aside.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" the Dark Knight asked.

"Like what?"

"A sword, maybe? A real, live sword?"

"Aren't Lana's twelve guards enough?" Clark asked.

"For her, probably," Bruce conceded, "but you've got to remember our primary concern is keeping _you _alive. If something happens, those men will be concerned with her, not with you. I'd feel a lot better if you'd wear your sword."

Bruce produced the sword from behind his back and held it out for Clark, who snatched it and prepared to join the ladies. "I'll strap it on once we get out. It's too long to wear inside the carriage."

"Just make sure you take it with you, and be safe."

"_Now _you sound like my mother."

Bruce shivered just hearing the queen mentioned. "Have I told you just how much that woman scares me? Get out of here."

The ride into town was pleasant, and Clark played the perfect gentleman, making sure to split his attention between Lana and the dressmaker. He soon found himself involved in a discussion of colors and styles, and while he readily admitted he didn't know much about styles, he did have some definite opinions on colors.

"I think a lot of women will be wearing reds, yellows, oranges, and browns because it's the Harvest Ball and those are the colors of fall." Clark shifted his gaze from the dressmaker to Lana and then back. "I think Lana ought to stand out by wearing something different, something dramatic. Maybe a deep, vibrant blue. Something to set off her skin."

The women just looked at each other and smiled. "You're right about the color, Clark. Addie and I want a dark blue in a rich fabric like velvet or satin. Then we need some whites for a new shift and underskirts, and…"

"Okay, okay, I get it."

The shopping was quick this time as the shop they'd chosen did indeed have everything ready. Bruce's warning had Clark feeling edgy, so not only did he have his sword belted on, but he started looking for trouble that wasn't there.

When Lana and Addie came out with the two footmen following behind them laden down with the fabric they needed, Clark helped them secure it, and then asked Lana which store had the 'fancy stuff.' She slowly pointed toward a store on the other side of the street only a few shops down, while wondering why he wanted to know.

"Now, does anyone happen to know where the local Fuggieri bank is located?" Clark asked.

"Oh no! Oh no you don't," Lana said.

Clark blithely disregarded Lana's protest and asked again. No one in the party knew, so Clark stuck his head inside the shop they'd just left and learned it was just one street over, which made sense when Clark realized this area of the city contained the most exclusive shops and a lot of the largest mansions. When Clark turned back to the carriage, Lana was standing there with her arms folded and her weight shifted onto one hip.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Lana asked.

"The Fuggieri bank on the next street over."

"Why?"

"To make a withdrawal," Clark replied, "for the purpose of buying a few baubles you seem to be intent on denying yourself."

"Baubles? Diamond chips, seed pearls, thread of silver and of gold are mere _baubles?"_

"_I'll_ bet you didn't even ask your father about buying them. If you had, he would have insisted. This occasion is _important."_

"That's beside the point," Lana insisted. "I saw them and decided they were too much."

"If you don't let me buy them, I'm telling your father when we get back."

"You wouldn't!"

Clark folded his arms to match hers. "Believe whatever you want."

"That's playing dirty!"

"Are we going to the bank or not?"

Lana looked up to the driver and composed herself. "Please take us to the Fuggieri bank on the next street down the hill." Clark stood at the door and as he waited to hand Lana up inside, she asked, "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I promised myself that my girl was going to outshine every other woman at the ball."

Hearing the words 'my girl' changed everything. Lana's irritated grimace turned to a helplessly pleased smile, and her furrowed brow relaxed. "_Your_ girl? I…I like the sound of that."

"Quite frankly, so do I."

Lana climbed into the carriage, and Clark followed. Addie had heard what they had been talking about and smiled slightly at both of the young people. The squire seemed like such a nice, handsome young man, and she already knew Lady Lana deserved someone good.

Clark started asking Addie which of the 'baubles' would go best with the dress they had planned.

"Oh, I'd say the thread of silver would be better with either of the gems. We can crosshatch that across the bodice and the skirt, and put the gems at the intersections of the threads. I'd choose the thread of gold if we weren't using any gems."

"Good." He turned to Lana. "How much did the various items cost?"

"A spool of thread of silver will cost thirty golds. At least that was less expensive than the gold, which will cost seventy-five golds. The cost of the seed pearls or the diamond chips will depend on the quantity, but with what Addie just suggested, I'm guessing the pearls will cost 75 - 100 golds, and the diamonds…triple that." She looked smugly at Clark, hoping the obscene cost would make him back down.

"So…at the most, I'm looking at paying 430 golds?" Lana nodded. "That's _all?"_ Lana thought she'd faint. She'd never had a dress that cost more than fifty golds, and her palms had been sweaty when she'd heard that. "Let's get going."

Lana tapped on the carriage window, and the driver took them to the bank. After Clark presented his bank plate, and the bank officials went through some arcane authentication procedures, they suddenly became very happy to see Clark; being a customer with his kind of bank balance tended to create that kind of reaction. He did manage to privately caution the bank officers against using his real name in public.

Ten minutes later, the two footmen were struggling with the weight of a small chest that contained 450 golds. Clark had asked for a few extra just in case. Half an hour later, the carriage and its twelve man escort were out of Varshova, and halfway home with their purchases, when a hail of crossbow bolts shot out of a roadside hedge.

The cry was raised almost before the last bolt struck home. It was the driver's voice Clark heard, and what he shouted sent a river of ice down his spine.

"Ambush!"


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Ambush

After hearing the word ambush and feeling ice shoot down his spine, Clark experienced a moment of panic as the moment he'd never truly believed would happen was here. After that, training and instinct kicked in and he used his super-hearing to locate and then count the heartbeats of the opposition. He worried when he counted a full two dozen human heartbeats on the far side of the hedge; at least there were no more hidden anywhere else nearby.

Looking toward the two dozen men, even as he began to rise and head for the door on the far side of the carriage, his x-ray vision showed him that of the twelve-man escort, eight had been cut down immediately by the first bolts, and of the four remaining, who were already turning their horses toward the attack, drawing their swords, and raising their shields, one was a knight, who already had a bolt sticking out of his thigh.

A little bit farther along, on the other side of a somewhat patchy hedge, Clark could see the two dozen men were arrayed in two lines parallel to the road. In front were a dozen crossbowmen, whose heavy crossbows were just being lowered to the ground to begin the laborious process of winching the crossbow back into firing position once more. Clark knew those men had to be prevented, at all costs, from reloading. If they succeeded, the remaining men on his side would die.

Stationed just behind the crossbowmen and shouldering their way past them, were twelve men whose sole job was to prevent anyone from reaching the crossbowmen. These men were heavy infantry, the elite of the battlefield. In close quarters like this, sixteen foot long iron pikes were useless, but the six foot long halberd was perfect. The halberd was a five foot long pole fitted with an iron attachment that had an axe blade for chopping on one side, a hook on the other side for pulling horsemen off of their mounts, and an eighteen inch spike on the end which turned the pole into a spear for holding off horsemen or other pole-wielding enemies.

Those twelve heavy infantry men pushed through the hedge in their heavy steel armor, wielding their halberds, to advance on the four remaining Lang horsemen. Their only real job was to keep the horsemen busy until the crossbowmen were ready for another shot. Like Clark, they knew if that happened, they would win easily.

All of that happened in maybe two seconds.

Clark's last act as he shoved open the door was to pull Lana from her seat onto the floor; he then did the same to Addie, who landed on top of Lana. "Stay there, both of you." What he _wanted_ to add, as he drew his sword and prepared to kill for the first time in his life was, 'Should I see either of your heads before _I_ tell you it's safe to look, I'll blister your bottoms myself.' He didn't say it, but the look he gave an already scared Lana as he slammed the door shut behind him conveyed his thoughts nicely.

It was only six seconds since Clark heard the word 'ambush,' and he was standing outside the carriage on the side away from the battle and his sword was in his hand. His last act, before going into action, was to use his x-ray vision once more and perform a very quick visual scan of his opponents to check for green-Kryptonite. Finding none, Clark moved to the attack, deciding to take out the crossbowmen first.

A quick blast of super-speed took him from behind the carriage to the other side of the hedge, where twelve super-powered swings of his sword cut each man in half. He moved with such speed that the last man was killed before the first man's body hit the ground.

The four horsemen were in trouble back on the road. The knight had used his trained warhorse to rear up and kick the first man through the hedge right in the head and kill him before he'd been able to raise his halberd in defense. The next five men, however, had concentrated on him and had wounded his horse in four separate locations, in an attempt at bringing him down. The other three horsemen had just faced off against the other six heavy infantry, when Clark raced through the hedge and finished the job by hacking the other twelve men with ease. The only difference here was that he'd swung at their relatively unprotected necks to ensure a painless and quick one blow kill.

Clark had a number of things to deal with now. First, he needed to establish that all of the opposition had been accounted for and that the danger was truly over. He listened for nearby heartbeats, and found a collection of them, but he couldn't tell if any were human. Speeding off, he found a line of horses well back from the road, hidden in a copse of trees, all tied to a picket line with one man watching over them to make sure they weren't stolen. Counting twenty-five horses and assuming those were twenty-four for the soldiers and one for the man still here guarding them, Clark swooped in and grabbed the man, taking him back to the carriage in a rush.

Then, Clark sent one of the remaining horsemen to ride to the manor to raise the alarm. "Stay off the road in case there's a secondary ambush. Make _sure_ they come in force and bring a wagon or two with them for our wounded and dead."

"What about the attackers?"

"Screw 'em. Let the wolves have 'em."

Once the man was on the way, Clark stepped over to the carriage and opened the door. "It's safe out here now, Lana, but I don't advise looking unless you have a strong stomach."

Addie climbed off of Lana and struggled into her seat, and then turned to help Lana up. Lana rushed to the door Clark had just opened, eyes frantically checking him from head to toe. He was _covered_ in blood, and that was making Lana panic.

"Are you alright, Clark? Please tell me you're okay."

Clark hurried to assure Lana, and said, "I'm all right, Lana."

"Are you _sure?"_ she asked anxiously. "Because that sure looks like an awful lot of blood."

"I came through without a scratch on me, Lana. Trust me." Clark looked down at himself and realized just how much blood he was covered with. "The blood…well, it's the blood of a _lot_ of other people."

Clark sent another of the remaining horsemen to guard the twenty-five horses Lord Lang had gained ownership of by default. The last horseman was busy helping the last knight off of his horse so that both man and beast could rest. The horse was wounded in four places, but was still moving, so the injuries might not be fatal.

Clark waited until the knight was down and resting, before turning over his captive to the last horseman to guard, and then turning to Lana. "I'll be back," Clark said, "but right now I need to check on the rest of our men."

Determined to be strong, Lana made her way out of the carriage and stepped into a nightmare. Blood was _everywhere,_ and so was Clark. He went to one body that was dressed in her father's purple and gold and checked him. Then, he seemed to disappear, before reappearing several feet away a split-second later to check another body. He kept on that way until he reached the fourth body. He then bent low over the man and seemed to be almost praying, and then she saw a purple light envelope his hands before moving to cover the man's body in the same light. The man started groaning loudly, and Clark moved onto the next body. In all, Clark stopped four times to generate that purple glow before coming back to her.

Just like Alicia, Lana knew what that purple glow meant, even if she hadn't seen how fast he moved from one body to the next. "You're a Kryptonian," Lana said with wonder.

"Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't get to tell you about that myself." He nodded back toward the road. "That is _not_ how I wanted you to learn."

"I have to admit I'd also have preferred you telling me, and while I want to stand here and keep talking with you, I think I need to check up on our soldiers and do what I can for them until help arrives." Suiting her actions to her words, Lana reached back inside the carriage and grabbed every silk-covered cushion she could carry to use for the comfort of the wounded. She then set about doing whatever she could to help.

"That purple glow thing," Lana asked, as she went about her self-appointed work, "what was it?"

"A minor healing spell."

"I thought so. Everyone you touched with it looked to be doing better once you left him and moved on."

"They still might not live," Clark cautioned.

"True," Lana replied, "but now they have a chance."

Clark looked at Lana apprehensively, a sight she missed, as she was busy with the wounded. "Lana, my being who I am…does it matter to you?"

Lana couldn't see Clark's face, but she could plainly hear the fear in his voice. "No, Clark. Being Kryptonian doesn't hurt your standing in my eyes one bit." She looked up at the carriage and shouted at her dressmaker. "Addie, find one of those lazy footmen, who seem to have run off during the fight, and have them get down that bolt of muslin. I need it for bandages." Lana turned back to her patient and talked to Clark. "As I was saying, being who you are just ads a little spice, a little mystery if you will, to our relationship."

When Addie couldn't find the footmen, who had indeed fled at the first sign of trouble, Clark moved to help her. He supposed he couldn't be too upset with the footmen for leaving, as they had seen the carriage driver pierced with two crossbow bolts. The man had somehow managed to set the carriage's rudimentary brake and shout a warning as he had died. It was a miracle the horse team hadn't bolted during the short fight.

Addie pointed and Clark pulled out the bolt she'd indicated. As Clark unrolled the bolt bit by bit, Addie used his dagger to cut off strips of the cloth to use as bandages, and Lana moved from man to man applying her makeshift bandages to the wounds that still bled. Once Lana was satisfied with her efforts, all that remained for them then was to wait.

Before anyone from the manor could arrive, they were come upon by a merchant train who sent back a rider to Varshova to alert the city guard, before continuing on their way.

The horseman Clark had sent to raise the alarm did just as ordered, staying well clear of the road and avoiding any possible secondary ambush. He'd ridden his horse hard, and both horse and rider were worn out as they passed through the guarded entrance to the manor grounds.

Bruce had been working the other soldiers, including the ten veterans he privately referred to as 'Clark's ten,' on a series of movements designed to improve their flexibility and strength. He'd noticed Clark's ten acting a bit squirrelly during the last few drills, but the weird behavior had just started to fade away when the lone horseman came into sight.

Clark's ten didn't even have to wait for the horseman to draw within hearing range for them to know what was wrong. They'd been feeling it in their bones ever since the attack had started, but hadn't known how to interpret the feeling since the attack had occurred miles away from them. As one, the ten left the group of soldiers and went to a dead sprint for the soldiers' tables to get their horses. The horses were saddled in record time, with little regard paid to the comfort of the beasts. The ten were mounted and out of the stables just as Bruce started toward the stables on his own with another forty soldiers in his wake.

Bruce had to choose between his fully trained warhorse, who was massively strong, and a fearsome weapon in his own right in the hands of his master, or his palfrey, smaller and untrained for fighting, but much,_ much_ faster. The palfrey would get him there while the lumbering courser was still a long way off. Knowing there had been an attack, and that there could be another one at any time, he chose speed over power and saddled up the palfrey. Strapped to his side was his katana, a long, single-edged blade he'd earned through long training as a samurai in far off Cipango, at the same place and time that he had learned his hand-to-hand fighting skills.

Bruce was ready quickly and went storming off, determined to use his superior mount to catch Clark's ten, while the forty men the guard captain was sending had instructions to sweep both sides of the road as they advanced to make sure there was no secondary ambush waiting. They also had the job of escorting the wagons Clark had requested for the wounded and dead soldiers.

While they waited for the relief force from the manor, Clark and Lana moved off a few steps but stayed close enough for Lana to keep an eye on the wounded. "Can you tell me which family is yours? Or even who you really are?" Lana asked.

"Not even if we were in private, which we _aren't," _Clark pointed out. Then he whispered. "Keeping my identity secret is for your safety and my security."

"What about at the bank?" Lana countered. "I bet you had to tell them who you are to make a withdrawal. Wasn't _that_ dangerous?"

"Nope. The entire banking business of the Fuggieri family is based on dependability and confidentiality. They know if they ever get involved in politics, such as would happen if they reveal my identity, they'll never be able to get back out, _and _they'll lose a lot of business from other customers who could no longer trust them."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I am…I just bet my life on it." Wanting to change the subject, Clark rubbed the palms of his hands on his thighs, and asked, "Any other questions? I know you learning about my heritage might be a bit to deal with."

"Well…I already suspected you were more than just a simple squire, though I have to admit I hadn't quite been thinking Kryptonian." Lana drummed her small fingers on the edge of the carriage, then bit her lower lip and looked at her blood spattered man. "What _does_ that mean for us?"

"I don't know. Since you said me being Kryptonian doesn't bother you, I can't imagine how else it might impact us, but other things can and will. Is knowing we might not have a future going to stop you now?"

Lana put a hand on Clark's forearm, without trying to avoid the blood. "No, it won't. Whatever happens in the future is something to worry about later. Right now, I want to enjoy being with you."

"Does it bother you that I'm a killer now?"

"No," Lana replied, as she eased her hand around his wrist and slipped it into his hand. "Those men were after us. I don't know if they wanted to kidnap me for a ransom, or if their intentions were worse, but they killed five of my father's men and wounded five others, each of whom might yet die, so those people deserved to die, and I dare anyone to say any differently."

Lana and Clark stayed like that until Bruce and 'Clark's ten' came thundering down the road. Seeing no fighting going on, Bruce pulled up well short of the carnage and ran in on foot, leaving his horse with the ten to tie with their horses.

Bruce came upon the wounded knight first. He had a hundred questions on his mind, but managed to hold off on asking the unnecessary ones. "Where's Lady Lana? Does she live? Have they taken her?" He asked about Lana first because he knew wherever she was, Clark would be also.

"Lady Lana is fine, Sir Bruce," the knight said. "Those sonsabitches never got close to the _carriage, _much less to the lady herself."

"How many were there?" Bruce asked. He couldn't imagine anyone taking a risk like this and then not sending enough men to do the job.

"A dozen infantry…probably that many crossbowmen…and before you ask, it wasn't me or my men who saved the day," he spat roughly on the ground, before continuing, "my horse _did_ get one of the bastards, but it was your squire who got the rest.

"One second we had two-thirds of our force down and the rest of us about to die, and the next second, all twelve infantry had been neatly beheaded and we were in the clear."

Bruce ran a hand over his face. _So much for keeping a low profile. I can only hope he managed to not tell everyone who he was in the process._

The knight then added, "I've been told if you'll step through the hedge, you'll see a sight you've never even imagined."

Bruce did as suggested and saw a sight that was straight out of a nightmare. Twelve lightly armored bodies each cut through with a single blow. He'd seen a lot in his time, but that sight made him want to puke.

"Where is the lady?" Bruce asked.

"Back that way," the knight said as he awkwardly pointed back over his head. "Probably canoodling with her hero. Hell, if I was a girl her age, I'd be trying to give him my most personal thanks, too." That weak joke made the knight laugh, which started him on a coughing fit.

Bruce walked on and saw the ten had taken control of the prisoner that had been mentioned. They hadn't sent anyone to fetch the horses, which was proper since their focus was Clark's safety. The baron's men could fetch the horses when they showed up. What was puzzling Bruce was how the ten had seemingly known there was trouble before they had been told.

He finally found Clark and Lana at the far end of the carriage, both covered with blood, and holding hands. Clark was covered from head-to-toe in such a manner that he almost appeared to have bathed in the stuff. Lana's blood covering was more smears here, there, and everywhere.

"I know you're both okay," Bruce said, "and I know how Clark got his blood, but milady, how on God's green Earth did _you _get bloody?"

"Well…someone had to tend to the injured. I thought Clark himself had dealt with enough blood by then, and since the few healthy men left to me had been given jobs to do by Clark, the job fell to me." Lana shrugged her shoulders and spoke quietly. "Besides. Some of those men died, and the others were injured, all for _me. _I owed them whatever service I could render, no matter how small."

Bruce just stood there, appreciating the quiet grace of a noble who got it, who really understood the obligation she had to those who served her. He knew from experience there were far too few of those, and he began to wonder if it was too late to hope for more between Clark and Lana besides an essentially harmless teenage romance.

_Maybe Prince Kal-El has found a young woman worthy of being his bride, his duchess, and the next queen of Alemannia._


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Tonight's the Knight…

Upon receiving word that Lana was safe, Lord Lang chose to stay at home, since almost half of his soldiers were already on site. First back at the manor was the wagon containing the bodies of Lord Lang's four dead soldiers and plus that of the carriage driver.

The carriage driver had been married to one of the assistant cooks. She had been bravely holding in her feelings until she saw her man in the wagon bed with the soldiers, but that broke her, and she was inconsolable from that point on.

Second to come back was the other wagon containing the wounded. That wagon had traveled more slowly because a wagon was always a rough ride, and the injured were in agony with each and every jolt. Also, they had waited a little bit longer than the first wagon to start so the soldiers could use a few of the halberds as poles to create a makeshift canopy over the wagon bed with the rest of Lana's bolt of muslin. Anything to try to shield those men from the sun.

Lord Lang's staff had already stored the dead and now had to help the still living. One older woman, who had seen many wounds in her day, took a careful look at the bandaging and knew instantly whose hands had tied those knots. After all, she had trained the Lady Lana as a girl. It appeared she still remembered just what to do.

After a seemingly long wait, the carriage came back, under heavy guard, with all forty of the Lang men who had ridden out arrayed around the carriage. They were spoiling for a fight and just hoping someone else would try for their lady. Bruce and Clark's ten trailed behind just slightly, content to help bring the extra twenty-five horses to the manor for Lord Lang to dispose of. Bruce still didn't know how those men had known about Clark being in danger, but he meant to find out as soon as possible.

And as for inside the carriage, Addie sat on one side of the carriage, but kept her eyes busy with something out the window so the young couple could have a modicum of privacy. Whatever privacy they had, they made use of. Lana and Clark sat side by side, holding hands and talking quietly the whole way back.

Clark had thought Lana might not think him as quite so much of a hero once she learned he was in little danger on the battlefield, but he found she felt quite differently about the whole situation.

Lana felt Clark had given up his carefully hidden identity, and thus had put himself in mortal danger of some sort, just to save her. She liked to think he would have acted had she not been there, but she was perceptive enough to know she had been his primary concern. _He put himself in danger to save me, _Lana thought. She didn't know whether to think of his act as romantic or chivalrous or what, but she knew she was in love. Lana didn't know all the rules of the situation, but she intended to reward Clark in one concrete way that was fully within her father's power to grant.

And when the carriage came to a full stop, she launched her plan into action. Lana motioned for Addie to leave the carriage first, as she supposed there would be some commotion once she and Clark followed. Grateful to avoid getting caught in the crush, Addie slid out and then Lana looked over at Clark and squeezed his hand.

"Are you ready for this?" Clark nodded. "Good, because Father's people can be pretty possessive."

"Sounds like that's your problem, not mine."

"No, Clark, I think you will find you have just been adopted."

Lana's prediction was generally accurate. A large crowd gathered around the carriage, all waiting to see their beloved Lady Lana and her heroic rescuer, Squire Clark. When the door popped open, Addie came out first and was given time to clear the crowd before the blood-smeared Lana stepped out of the carriage to an enthusiastic roar. Lord Lang was waiting at the bottom of the steps, and took his daughter into his arms as he cried his relief into her shining, soft hair.

When they ended their fierce hug, Lana pulled back just far enough to be able to see her father's face.

"Daddy?" Lana asked, using a name for her father she rarely used anymore.

"Yes, Pumpkin?"

"Clark saved me. Without him, I'd be dead or kidnapped for ransom."

"I know," Lewis said. "The soldier who came back to raise the alarm told us."

"Then knight him."

"No. You know by now what he is and just how easy it was for him to handle those soldiers. A knighthood has to be _earned."_

"And it was, Father, but not with physical bravery." Lana looked up at her father earnestly. "Clark won his knighthood by risking everything for me. He gave up his carefully concealed secret to save _me_…and everyone else there."

Lewis looked down indulgently at his daughter. "Are you sure this isn't just a case of you wanting things for the boy you like?"

Lana pressed both fists tightly to her sides. "Just ask yourself this: would you hesitate to knight him if he had saved someone other than one of your daughters?" Then Lana got an idea she really didn't like. "Or are you letting his family connections, whatever they are, dictate whether or not you knight him? If so, that's unworthy of you.

"And one more thing, if you _don't_ knight him, how will that make you look?" Lana said. She was speaking as softly as she could and still be heard right now. "Besides me, there's a knight, a dressmaker, and three other soldiers who owe their lives to his willingness to sacrifice his own security just to save them, so if you don't knight him, you'll look damned ungracious."

"All right, Lana. All right. You win. Squire Clark will get his 'battlefield commission'…as soon as you let him out of the carriage."

Lana looked back and saw she had been blocking Clark's exit from the carriage. Embarrassed, she almost jumped to get out of his way and then waited for him with shining eyes. Clark finally stepped down out of the carriage, to a hero's welcome. The crowd was boisterous in their cheers, ending with one of the other dressmakers leading them in 'three cheers for Squire Clark.'

Once the last hip, hip, hooray! faded away, Lord Lang stepped in close and thanked Clark personally with a handshake and then a back-slapping hug for saving his daughter.

"And now, Squire, if you will kneel." Lord Lang had strapped on his own sword before deciding he wasn't needed at the battle site, so he drew his blade, which glimmered in the late afternoon sunlight, and then said, "There's a long ceremony that goes with this in the normal course of events, including an overnight vigil in a chapel, but knighthoods can be earned with valorous behavior on the battlefield. Such as today."

The crowd quieted expectantly as Lord Lang backed up enough to be able to extend his sword to knight Clark.

"In remembrance of all that you have been and have yet to be." Lord Lang touched Clark on the right shoulder. "In remembrance of _who you are_ and the obligations that entails." Lord Lang touched Clark on the left shoulder. "Be thou a good and faithful knight." One last touch, this time on top of Clark's head. "Rise, Sir Clark of Kent."

As Clark stood, the crowd cheered lustily for their hero, but Lord Lang wasn't finished. "You are a knight now, you are charged to help those who can't help themselves, seek justice in every situation, and by your actions, maintain the honor accounted to all knights."

"I will," Clark solemnly intoned.

Bruce was dying, both because Clark had been knighted, and because he wanted to drag him away from Lana to find out what had happened. The crowd descended on Clark after his impromptu knighting ceremony, though, which made it obvious the squi…no, the _knight…_would not be available to him for quite some time. Likely not until after dinner.

But when he saw Clark beg off, citing his need to get out of his bloody garments and take a hot bath, the crowd parted, and then various servants ran off to be the first ones to help him by setting up a portable tub in Bruce's room or by setting a number of kettles of water to boil.

Lana even had one of her maids send a cake of her special lavender soap to Clark so he would have something nice to smell other than dried blood and the reek of the lye soap the men usually used.

Having so many people leap to do things for him started to make Clark feel uncomfortable. It was what he was used to as Prince Kal-El, but he hadn't been the prince in at least two months, and had gotten used to doing things for himself, not to mention having to do things for Bruce, too.

But he remembered one of the things Lord Lang had said, 'In remembrance of _who you are_ and the obligations that entails.' In this case, he had to remember he was the prince and that the prince had to endure all sorts of things to allow his people the satisfaction of doing their jobs.

The worst humiliation was having to stand in the tub and allow the male servants to scrub him from head to toe, when he knew he could do it in a matter of seconds, and not have to allow anyone to handle his body.

Then they dressed him in another one of the decent suits of clothing that had been made for him at the time he had been appointed to dance with the girls. Bruce laughed almost constantly as he watched the whole circus of the servants trying their best to thank Clark for his efforts with their services, and Clark's obviously uncomfortable reactions at everything they tried.

Once the servants had finished dressing Clark, they picked up the tub, and scurried out of the room, leaving the two men alone. "You look disgustingly handsome in that getup, Clark."

"Thank you, Bruce," Clark said, smiling slightly at not having to use the honorific 'Sir' anymore. "And you look like something the palace cats just dragged in. You might want to change."

"Oh, I do, but I wasn't about to do so until your horde of admirers left, for fear they might decide I was next."

As Bruce stripped down, Clark found a servant and asked for a simple wash basin of hot water. He still had some of Lana's lavender soap, which he intended for Bruce to use, until he realized that was a personal gift from Lana that she might not appreciate him sharing, so he added a request for some plain lye soap.

Bruce was done washing himself and had started to dress before he started quizzing Clark about what had happened. Clark gave him a precise rundown of the attack, and included his thoughts about who could have sent them. Bruce just listened as he evaluated Clark's thought process.

"What really gets me, Bruce, is that there are some specific requirements for an ambush."

"Like?" Bruce asked, testing Clark's knowledge.

"Like, they had that spot picked out long before they hit us, likely before we left this morning, which means they knew where we were going and probably had a rough idea of when, too. Then, they had to have some kind of warning that we were close to their killing zone just before they struck."

"Anything else strike you as being unusual?"

"Yeah…at first it was that they didn't attack us on the way to the city, when our arrival in the killing zone would have been more predictable. Maybe they saw the size of Lana's guard contingent and had to call in more men to attack us on the return trip."

"Those footmen," Bruce asked, "when did they run?"

"They were disappearing as I came out of the carriage."

"Do you remember hearing them yell anything?"

Clark shook his head. "Nah, and my memory is sharp. No sounds from the back of the carriage."

"Had any of Lord Lang's few remaining uninjured men been riding up front well ahead of the carriage?"

"They could have been," Clark replied, "but that's because the guard force split in two at that point, with half in front and half behind, due to the narrowness of the road."

"So it wasn't likely an inside job."

"No."

Bruce decided to change the subject when it became plain they weren't going to find the answers before dinner. "Was that the first time you've had to kill?"

"Yeah," Clark said. His quietness let Bruce know Clark was still thinking about it. "It didn't bother me right after it was over, but now I wonder if there might have been a different way."

"Clark, there were twenty-four of them! What did you expect them to do? Fall down and beg once you announced your name?"

Clark smiled at Bruce's obvious stupidity, as Bruce pulled on his red dress jacket, "No, I was just thinking I could have knocked them all unconscious. Then Lord Lang would have more than just one horse handler to question."

The two men headed downstairs and made their way to the dining hall. Bruce headed for the head table while Clark headed for his usual seat with the soldiers. One of the servants was quick to come over to Clark and make it clear he was to join the Langs at the head table.

Clark followed the servant until he was pointed to a particular spot. Just then, the Langs came filing in and Clark stayed standing. The ornate chair to his left told Clark he'd be sitting at Lord Lang's right hand as his honored guest, but it wasn't until Lana took the seat on his right, that he knew he was truly being honored. Holding Lana's seat for her and then pushing it in when she was ready, Clark then took his own seat and slid his right hand under the table. Lana saw that and tucked her hand into his.

_This could be the best meal ever, _Clark thought.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Fly Me to the Moon

Lord Lang's first move was to introduce Clark to the assembled diners, loosely explain what he had done, for the few who didn't already know, and then make sure they all knew he was now a knight instead of just a squire.

Clark and Lana couldn't hold hands all night long, but they shared so many looks and smiles that it hardly mattered. After dinner, Lord Lang pulled Lana aside long enough to let her know she was allowed to spend time with Clark, but that when she did, she needed to make sure they weren't alone, or if they were in a room alone, she needed to keep the door wide open. Not out of any fear that Clark might ravage her, but that they needed to maintain her reputation, especially now that she and Clark had such a prominent connection.

Lana wanted to talk privately with Clark and tried to think of a place where she could while still being observed by a maid or someone else who could testify that nothing improper had happened. She finally chose the interior courtyard where she and Clark had shared a late lunch the other day just before her father had banned her from seeing him. She thought the place was decently romantic and the burbling water would make it difficult for anyone to overhear them. She sent one of her maids to find Clark and ask him to meet her in 'the courtyard,' and that the maid would lead the way.

Bruce and Clark had gone outside for a talk. "You know, Clark, you seem to have your choice of the Lang women."

"Hmm?" Clark wasn't really listening yet. His mind was fully on Lana and the time they'd spent together. More and more he was becoming convinced she was the one for him. He just despaired of ever getting his parents to see that, too.

"I was saying that while Lady Lana's interest in you is obvious, it seems that Lady Lois and Lady Alicia have an interest, too."

"Lady Lois?" Clark said. "With _me?_ Oh yeah, I really want a girl who gets mad and beats my butt when she doesn't get her way."

"But you did say she apologized very nicely the other day."

"Yeah, she did. It was everything I could have hoped for. A woman like _that_ could turn a lot of heads. The problem with Lady Lois is I think the girl with the temper is more likely the real her than the sweet girl who apologized. And having a girl who jumped back and forth between the two would be pure torture."

"What about Lady Alicia?"

"Beautiful girl. Nice. Quiet." Clark turned to Bruce. "Whatever makes you think she's interested?"

"I've seen her look at you when you weren't watching. I was sitting next to her tonight, and when Lord Lang told everyone what you had done, she sighed and got these big eyes."

"I hope you're joking. I already have the Lady Lang I want."

"Not joking. Not at all. And while I think you can chase Lady Lois away by making it clear you're not interested, I can't say the same for Lady Alicia." Bruce kicked at a pebble and watched it bounce away. "She's a third daughter and is used to waiting, sometimes a long time, for her turn. She will wait patiently for her chance, and then seize it."

"She can seize whatever she wants, as long as it is not me."

About that time, the poor maid finally found Clark talking to Bruce outside. She'd been all over the manor and was nearly exhausted, so she caught her breath for a moment and then relayed Lana's message. "Sir Clark, Lady Lana asks for your attendance upon her in 'the courtyard.'"

"The courtyard?"

"Her words, Sir."

"I believe it's time for me to go, Bruce. _My_ Lady Lang is calling." He started to walk off, but then stopped and looked back at his mentor. "But your Lady Lang…your Lady Lang may be waiting for you to grow a pair." Clark winked. "See ya in the morning, Bruce. I have a room of my own right next to yours now."

_My Lady Lang?_ Bruce wondered. _How'd he make that leap? I'm landless, make a comfortable living as a knight, but nothing to support a lady, and I'm more than ten years older than the oldest of those girls. My Lady Lang indeed._

Clark walked into the torch-lit courtyard to find Lana seated on the coping of the fountain, trailing a hand through the clear water. He cleared his throat, startling Lana, who started to fall before Clark zipped across the courtyard to catch her.

"I almost fell in," Lana said in wonderment.

"Not while I'm around."

Clark sat Lana back on the edge, but she was suddenly too nervous to sit. She stood, and Clark immediately stood with her. Her hands started to flutter around until Clark clasped her fingertips with his and held them between them.

"Why so nervous, Lana?"

"Being here, alone, with _you."_

"We're not alone. Your maid is waiting for us over by the door, protecting your reputation."

"You're not insulted, are you?"

"Insulted? No. I understand completely. A young woman's most valuable personal asset these days is her, uh, purity. If that comes into question, even once, it can have a material effect on her chances of marrying well." Clark grinned slightly. "In fact, if I was your father, I wouldn't let 'Sir Clark' within a mile of you."

"Why not?"

Clark squeezed Lana's fingertips and looked into her eyes, wanting her to know the truth of what he had to say.

"Because I know how much I love you."

Lana's mouth opened wide, and she gasped, not having hoped to hear that from Clark, not _yet_ anyway. "You love me?"

Clark nodded readily, a smile breaking out over his face. "Yeah, I love you." He looked at the expression on her face, and asked, "Is it so hard to believe that someone could love you?"

Lana shifted her speech from Alemanni to Iberian, "I love you, too, Clark. From the moment you knelt in front of me to apologize, I knew you were the one for me, and I found myself falling deeper and harder for you with each passing day."

Her command of the language was slightly less perfect than his, but that didn't keep her emotion from shining through. Clark smiled ruefully, knowing Lana had understood him completely when he'd admitted his growing attraction to her in the library.

"You…" Clark used his fingertip grip to pull Lana in close. She looped her arms around his thick neck and he held her lightly at the waist, looming over her like a cliff face over the shore. Then he told her, "Step onto my toes."

Lana didn't talk, she just did as she was asked, never once taking her eyes off of his, even though she had to crane her neck to do so. Clark lowered his lips to meet Lana's which were rushing up at him, and as their lips touched and their eyes fluttered closed, Clark's feet drifted up off the ground as the two of them took flight.

They rose slowly as they kissed. The first kiss was short and sweet, and both pulled back just long enough to see the other smile before rushing in again to kiss harder and deeper. When they finally pulled back for air, their entwined bodies had floated up above the top of the manor, which opened up the whole sky to their view.

Lana could see the walls of the courtyard had disappeared from around them, and was just a little bit afraid to look down, but she quickly adjusted. Her maid, on the other hand, watched from below with a slack jaw and wide-open eyes. She'd never seen a Kryptonian fly before and was stunned by the sight of it, even if all the old stories said they could.

"Scared?" Clark asked.

Lana nodded quickly and jerkily, "Just a little."

"Sorry," Clark said. "I guess I should have warned you first."

"No. Don't worry." Lana looked off to the side, and saw the moonlit landscape, mostly farmland, rolling away from her vantage point. "I'm scared about us."

"Why?"

"With the Harvest Ball coming up in a few weeks, it's possible I may start receiving suitors after attending, and father intends to find me a husband soon."

"He does?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"Then…maybe I can use some influence. We've got some time, so if I can send off a letter to the right person, and he decides to intervene on our behalf, it may buy us some time."

"Time for what?"

"For me to _fight_ for you, to convince my parents that _you,_ Lady Lana Elizabeth Lang, are the one for me."

Lana's eyes shone with tears as she heard what she had only hoped to hear until now. "I-I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything just yet. This is a lot for someone to deal with, but know now that my intentions, which have never been less than honorable, are now of the highest quality. I intend to marry you."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Aftermath

Being so happy with what she'd just heard, Lana's eyes shed tears as she tried to talk. "Marry m-me? That…that's w-wonderful." Her lips sought out his, and they crashed together in an impetuous kiss. Besides being an expression of her love, the kiss was also the beginning of her pledge to him.

"I love you, Sir Clark of Kent," Lana said. Her words were formal, but her voice was filled with warmth and good humor. "I swear I will offer no encouragement to any other man while you fight for my hand."

Clark winced inside to hear her use his false name. He wanted to let her know all about himself and about the difficulties they would face in trying to earn his parents' permission to marry. True, he was now old enough to marry on his own. As a knight, he was considered to be an adult and didn't have to wait until he was twenty, but as a noble, his marriage had to be approved, and since he was a prince and a duke, it meant he had to gain the king's approval.

A darker thought was that if his father died, he could choose his own wife, but even then the Council of Dukes would want to know why he was marrying the daughter of a relatively insignificant man. And in any case, Clark didn't want to have to lose his father to gain Lana's hand; he wanted to convince his parents of her suitability to be his bride.

Knowing he needed approval of his prospective bride gave Clark an idea. It was something he wished he had thought of before. As Duke of Borussia, he was the liege lord of several counts, and below them, a large number of barons…one of which happened to be the Baron of Roskilde, Lana's father. Clark realized he could use the power of his own office to prevent Lana from having to marry anyone else while she waited for him.

_I can write a letter in my own hand, _Clark thought, _using the ducal signet ring hidden in my traveler's belt to make it official, and declare an absolute ban on Lord Lang marrying any of his daughters off to anyone. I'll have to wait to have that letter delivered until it's time for me to leave though or else risk detection. I don't care who guesses my identity once I've left. _

_The only way Lord Lang can overrule my decision is to apply to the king, and even I don't know where Father is right now._ _Good luck with finding him these days!_

Pleased he'd come up with a way to prevent anyone from marrying Lana, at least until he'd had a chance to work on his parents, Clark floated the both of them toward a soft landing in the courtyard. He wondered, _Who would've ever thought I'd be hoping to marry for love?_

"So what do we do now?" Lana asked, as her slippered feet slid off of his and came to rest on the ground. She was still holding him and rested her face against his chest briefly before moving back to where she could see Clark's face in the flickering torchlight of the courtyard.

"We spend time together, as much as we can and get to know each other better, because there's no telling how much longer it will be safe for me to stay here after today's exhibition."

"Why do you hide? Who hunts you?"

"You've heard about the rebellion back home, haven't you?" Lana nodded. "Someone having me in their possession might try to influence my family one way or the other. Or they could just kill me to get me out of the way.

"And if my parents disappear or are killed, I will have to return to Alemannia to help take care of my family's interests."

Lana squeezed Clark harder when she heard he might have to venture into what was shaping up, according to the few vague reports they'd gotten, as a full-blown rebellion. "Please be careful. With things as you say they are, you are in danger wherever you go." She moved in close once more, leaving her lips only inches from his. "And know, that wherever you go, you take my heart with you."

A final kiss, warm and sweet, before Lana reluctantly backed off. "I need to go. I have to get some sleep to look my best tomorrow."

"Why? Who's coming?"

"Prince Harold is coming so we can get to know each other a little bit better before the Harvest Ball."

The reminder that Lana would be attending such an occasion in another man's company, especially a man Clark knew and liked but did not trust with women, made a flash of anger shoot through his body. For Lana's sake he had to take a risk.

"Lana…"

"Yes?"

"Please be careful with the prince."

Curious, and wondering what was causing the worried look on his face, Lana said slowly, "I will be just as careful with Prince Harold as with any man."

"That may not be good enough." Lana's head tilted to one side and her eyes narrowed as she wondered what Clark was getting at. "I know Prince Harold considerably better than you do. He spent a year in Alemannia, primarily in the royal court, where I happened to be living at the time. He and I became good friends, and the women all seemed to think him charming. All except for my sister."

"Your sister? What happened?"

Clark shrugged and began to wander around the courtyard. "She wouldn't say, but there came a time when she could no longer abide his presence. He seemed to think she was playing hard to get and still has hopes she'll come around.

"She won't though. Not my sister. I've learned to trust her judgment about people. So while Harry and I get along famously, I do not trust him alone with a woman." Clark stopped walking and his eyes looked at Lana with an intensity she had seen earlier today when he'd left the wagon to defend her. "And yet he's now going to be escorting not my sister, but the woman I love, to a huge event in his family's own palace. Please be careful. Do not let him take you off alone, for if I carry your heart with me, you surely have mine wrapped around your finger."

Clark emphasized his point. "Friend or not, prince or not, if he harms you in any way at that ball, I will kill him."

Lana was convinced Clark meant what he said. The idea that she was going to the ball with someone who apparently liked women a bit too much, a bit too soon, worried her. But surely the prince wouldn't risk an incident. And anyway, she thought maybe Clark was just being a bit paranoid, or even a bit jealous. Still, she'd keep to crowded rooms just to be safe. After all, she recalled the words of an old royal security chief in one of her favorite history books, where the man had said sometimes paranoid people are right.

"Don't worry, Clark." Lana held one finger up in the air. Significantly, it was the traditional finger for an Alemanni noblewoman to wear her wedding ring. She made a twisting gesture with the fingertips of her other hand around the base of that finger, and said, "I will take good care of your heart." With that, she dipped into an elegant curtsy, which Clark returned with his most formal bow. Then she moved back toward the door, collected her maid, and disappeared into the manor.

Clark figured Lana could take care of herself, now that she had been warned, but he was of a mind to see Harry when he came, both to call in some favors so his friend wouldn't give away his identity, and to let him know in no uncertain terms that Lana was off limits.

The next morning, he was up early as always and was ready and waiting when Bruce came down to the corner of the waryard where they always practiced.

"You know," Clark said, by way of greeting his instructor good morning, "Lady Alicia told me the other day, during her dancing lesson, that she thought this waryard should be dug up and planted as a formal garden and that the waryard should be in back of the soldiers stables."

"Oh really?" Bruce was slightly surprised to see Clark here, now that he had earned his knighthood. Quite frankly, Bruce had expected Clark to sleep until it was time for lunch. "Wearing the medallion already?"

"Yeah, but I'm going to have to keep the box on my person at all times from now on."

"You've got that right. Even I can't be trusted to keep it. I can be overpowered…but not you."

"Nope, not me." Clark leaned against a wall and waited. "Don't worry, Bruce, we've got time enough to let an old guy like you warm up before I kick your ass."

"Sounds like someone's been into Lord Lang's 4X ale," Bruce said as he limbered up, "because that's a lot of tough talk for a pretty boy." Bruce stayed silent until he was warm and then walked up to an arm's length from Clark, who finally straightened up. Looking slightly to the right, Bruce said, "I hope I don't end up having to embarrass you in front of your new girlfriend."

"Huh? What?" Clark's head whipped in the direction Bruce looked and Bruce took that moment of distraction to launch a punch right at Clark's head. There was no one there, Bruce had been bluffing, but the mistake he made was that the long shadow cast by his body in the early morning sunlight fell in that direction. Clark saw the arm moving forward and instinctively dropped to the ground. Bruce had fully committed to the punch, missed Clark's head by inches, and crunched into the brick wall behind him.

Bruce screamed like his warhorse had just kicked him in the nuts. It felt to him as if he had broken every bone in his hand. After that first scream, came a string of complex curses that did everything from questioning the marital status of Clark's parents when he was born, to whether he was closer to his mother than any prince since Oedipus…and that was just when he was warming up.

Clark tucked the amulet away and then forced Bruce to let him take a look at his injured hand. Bruce had the swearing down to a manageable volume, but they already had a sizeable crowd.

"Sorry, Old Man," Clark muttered. "It looks like you'll have to suffer for awhile. If anyone here sees me heal you, I'll have a line of sick servants and soldiers by lunchtime, and an even longer line of locals with sick children and farm animals by the morning.

"The good news is that your hand is fixable. Only slight breaks of three fingers. Too bad it's summer. No ice for you. Unless…" Clark cupped his hands around Bruce's injured one and blew on that injured hand with the smallest dose of ice breath to freeze the hand long enough to get Bruce out of sight.

"Oh yes!" Bruce was ecstatic, as the freezing temperature reduced his pain immensely. It also helped keep his hand from swelling. Clark rushed him through the crowd and into the manor. Once back in Bruce's room, Clark shifted his energy, loosely held Bruce's injured hand, and uttered the key word, "Vigoratus."

Once again, Bruce felt a wave of energy pulse through his body, and when it was through with him, the pain in his hand was gone, too. "You are a freaking miracle worker!" he exulted, as he flexed his newly healed hand.

"Yeah, well, since you've got two good hands, you get to splint your hand so it looks like it might be injured. _And_ you get to take a few days off from any kind of physical stuff."

Bruce grumbled, but realized Clark was right. He'd end up spending all day healing milk cows and pet goats if word got out.

"I'll be downstairs at breakfast. After that, I've got another day of dancing lessons, Lady Lois first." Clark was about to leave, and then he shot Bruce a look. "You know, with the aggressive way Lois dances sometimes, maybe you ought to be her dancing instructor. You could teach her holds, flips, leg sweeps…the whole lot, and she'd like it ever so much more than what I teach her."

Bruce chuckled. "Leaving _you_ more time to spend with Lady Lana."

Clark bowed slightly and acknowledged the accuracy of Bruce's statement. "What can I say? For the first time in my life, I'm in love."

"Go on. Get out of here before I puke. This lovey-dovey crap's more than I can take."

During his two hours dancing with Lois, Clark had to admit how good she was becoming, despite his earlier comments to Bruce. She _did_ have the occasional tendency to lead, but even that was coming under control. That, however, wasn't the biggest surprise. That honor went to Lois' question asking what exactly had happened to Bruce and her expression of sympathy for the man.

Deciding Bruce could use some female company, Clark said, "If you'd like, Lady Lois, you could visit Bruce, I'm sure he'd appreciate a friendly face. He's got his hand bundled up just in case his fingers are broken and start to swell, so he might not come out of his room much while he rests the hand."

Lana was up next, and to his mind, the radiant smile she sported and the extra care she'd obviously taken to look good today made her look more beautiful to him than ever. He couldn't wait to tell her so. Speaking softly to ensure no one out in the hallway heard him, Clark said, "I've had thousands of dreams of what my future wife would look like. They all fall short of reality…_far_ short."

Pleased with Clark's reaction, Lana twirled in place, showing off her dress along with a quick glimpse of her calves that his quick eyes did not miss. She was also pleased, and a bit puzzled, that he was not turning into a jealous man over her impending meeting with the prince. Her puzzlement lasted only until she realized he had no reason to be jealous. After all, he had a plan in place to prevent her father from marrying her off, he had already warned her about the prince's sense of entitlement when it came to women and she had already pledged to not encourage any other man.

Their time dancing went well considering Clark was introducing Lana to a dance that was completely new to her. It was close to their usual noontime lunch break, when a breathless servant came scurrying to the door to inform Lady Lana that Prince Harold had arrived and hoped to join her for lunch.

"Well," Clark said, "that sounds like the end of our day together. See you at dinner?"

"Of course, but be forewarned that Father will likely invite Prince Harold to stay for that meal, too."

"Oh great. Harry's never met a meal he didn't like. He might end up staying long enough to be offered a sweet for a late night snack."

Lana was just about to leave the dancing room and straighten up her appearance before heading down to meet the prince, when the prince in question entered the dancing room itself, in hope of escorting Lana down to the dining hall.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Man to Man

When Harry came in, looking resplendent in his blue and cream uniform, Lana was near the door so she garnered most of his attention, while Clark hung back. His large body was backlit by open windows, allowing Harry to see him only as a looming shadow. Lana wanted to introduce Clark to the prince, mostly because she knew they were acquainted and thought Prince Harold might let something slip about Clark. But as the prince was the social superior here and showed no interest in an introduction, she dared not try it.

Lana took her leave from Clark and allowed Prince Harold to escort her as far as the entrance to the family's private quarters. She left him there, promising to be right out. Harry had had enough experience with women to know 'I'll be right out' could actually take awhile, so he took advantage of a chair he found nearby and sat.

Clark began to wonder if it was a good thing for Lana to be looking more beautiful than ever on the day Harry showed up for a visit. He knew if Harry saw her the way he himself did, she would have two very interested princes on her hands instead of just one.

Knowing Harry couldn't have recognized him against the backdrop of the open windows, Clark had been happy to stay silent and keep from being recognized. He definitely wanted to talk to Harry, just not in Lana's presence. He needed to make sure his friend would keep his secret; he had a number of favors Harry owed him that could all be called in if necessary. And as for Lana herself, he wanted to let Harry know she was on the other side of a line he did not want to cross.

Clark hurried downstairs, hoping to finish eating before Prince Harold and Lady Lana arrived, but it appeared the cooks had been told to hold the meal for the prince and Lana's appearance. Everyone stood once Harry and Lana walked in, but since Clark was facing the other way, had the short hair, and had chosen to sit down with the soldiers, all he was to Harry's eyes was another hulking soldier.

During the meal, Clark was _trying_ to keep himself from looking in Harry's direction, which was hard for him to do with Lana sitting by Harry's side. In the end, his efforts were for naught, as Harry happened to look down the table just as Clark started to laugh at a joke made by one of the soldiers sitting nearby.

"Excuse me please, Lady Lana," Harry said, "I've just seen someone in your hall that shouldn't be within five hundred miles of here." _Not without having paid me a visit first anyway. _

Not sure he was seeing who he thought he was seeing, Harry rose and walked down behind the tables until he reached a point directly behind Clark. Everyone started to rise when Harry stood, but he had waved them all back to their seats, so Clark was sitting when Harry tapped him on the shoulder. Knowing what was about to happen, Clark set down his utensils, rose, and turned slowly to face the Krakovian prince.

Harry had thought he had seen Kal-El, but he hadn't been sure. And now, faced with the reality of the situation, he paused only a moment, which was enough for Clark to lift his finger to his own mouth, asking for quiet, or at least restraint, from his friend.

Clark then leaned in close and whispered, "Please, don't mention my name to anyone. No one can know I'm here."

"What name do you use then?" Harry whispered back.

"Sir Clark…of Kent. I'll explain it later."

Curious, Harry thought he'd play along. "You sonofabitch!" he said out loud, as he pulled Clark into a strong, backslapping hug. "When you come out this way, you're _supposed_ to be polite and make a stop at the palace."

"There are reasons not to, most of which you already know." Clark spoke softly again. "Now be a good guest and get back up there with Lady Lana. She's the one you came to see, not me."

"We'll talk later though, won't we?"

"I won't let you leave without at least a short chat," Clark assured him.

"Good."

Harry returned to Lana, who found the prince was an amiable companion, not to mention very nice looking. She thought it would be easy for her to develop an interest in him if it weren't for the fact that Clark already owned her heart, but after an afternoon filled with a long, parasol-shaded walk, and a couple of intricate games of chess, Harry declined a dinner invitation, saying he had to get back to the palace.

Out in front of the manor, where Harry's carriage waited, Clark was waiting, too. He had kept his super-hearing on during the day just to determine when Harry would be leaving so they could talk.

Harry took his leave from Lana on the front steps, and Clark was pleased to see they seemed to have gotten along well enough, but not too well, as Harry wasn't staying for dinner.

Harry shuffled down the steps and he and Clark walked off to one side. Clark didn't want anyone to overhear them, so after asking Harry's permission, he shifted his energy and said, "Silentium" to cast a small dome of silence around them. Now, no one outside the dome could hear them.

"Now…what's kept you from visiting me, other than your desire to hide?"

"I have obligations here which keep me busy most of the day."

"What kind of obligations? Chasing skirts?"

Clark grimaced and shot a quick look in the direction of the front door where Lana was watching. Harry followed the line of Clark's glance, and wondered if Clark was actually interested in Lady Lana. It wouldn't be a first, but it was rare enough to earn some notice.

"No, Harry, not chasing skirts. Making them spin. Lord Lang has tasked me with giving the ladies of the house a refresher in dancing."

The surprise of finding that his friend Kal-El, who _hated_ dancing, or at least hated attending dances the last time he'd heard, was now a dancing instructor, took Harry's breath away for a second before launching him into a burst of uncontrolled laughter. "Oh God! That was _you?_ Up there teaching Lady Lana to dance?"

"Yeah. It was, and you'd better hope I'm good at it."

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Harry asked, "Why?"

"Because you're escorting her to the Harvest Ball," Clark said. "I mean, if she steps on your toes, maybe it will be because her dancing master taught her the wrong steps."

Harry grunted and then his eyes opened wide as he got an idea. "Speaking of the ball, Kal-El…"

"It's Clark, remember?"

"Oh yeah, sorry." Harry started over. "Speaking of the ball, Clark, why don't you come? Chloe's been dying to meet you after all I've told her about you, and there will be plenty of good food."

"But I'm trying to _hide."_

"You already _are _hiding." Harry assured him. "Sir Clark of _Kent?_ Who knows him? And you cut your hair."

"And where am I supposed to find a suitable escort on such short notice?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I seem to remember there being _three _beautiful young women of quality in this household. Surely one of the other two finds you attractive enough to attend the ball with you."

Clark thought briefly of attending with Lois and shivered. _Nah, Lois and I are getting along just fine the way we are now. No need to risk it with the pressure of an occasion like this. I might end up with a dagger in my back. _Then his thoughts drifted to Alicia. Beautiful, well-mannered, and excellent dancer. And as he remembered, she hadn't yet made her debut at a society function. Having become old enough just before they'd left Roskilde, her father hadn't had time to arrange anything yet. _Surely she'd say yes, even to a newly-minted knight like me._

"Likely," Clark conceded, "if their father allows it anyway."

"Good! Your invitation for you plus one will arrive by special courier tomorrow. And Kal…"

"Clark!" the Kryptonian muttered.

"Clark, right. I keep forgetting that."

"Forget that around the wrong person, and combined with yesterday's roadside slaughter, you'll be giving away my complete identity."

"I heard something about that this morning, but had no idea you were involved. Who were they?"

"Hell if I know. This is your place, remember? All _I_ remember is that there were two dozen of them. The crossbowmen were no better than average, and I didn't give the heavy infantry time to show their quality." Clark paused and chewed lightly on the inside of his cheek as he thought. "I _would_ like to know who was behind the attack though. I'd also like to know whether Lana or I was their target."

"Tell you what, Clark, tell me what Mara's been up to, and I'll do some digging and see if the city watch has come up with anything yet. Deal?"

"Sure." Clark shrugged, knowing his end of the bargain was easy to keep. "I left the summer palace before Mara did. She told me her ladies had overheard she was to be sent away the next day for security reasons. You know if Zod gets a hold of her, she'll become his bride, whether she wills it or not."

"Where did they take her?"

"No idea. She's more secure if no one knows until she's reached her destination, so even I wasn't told." Clark eyed his friend and decided he needed to be told he had no shot to win Mara's heart, even though an arranged, strictly political marriage still could be possible. "You _do_ know she basically despises you, don't you?"

"So you say…and have said before…but I believe, in time, she'll succumb to my charms and petition your father to arrange the marriage."

Clark shook his head slightly and smiled at his friend's obstinate refusal to admit Mara was out of his reach. There was one other woman's reaction to Harry that he was interested in. "Why aren't you staying for dinner? Lana was sure her father would extend the invitation and I know how much you like to eat."

"Lady Lana was polite and an engaging conversationalist, but never more than cool to me. It's obvious from her intelligence that she's been educated more like one of our ladies than one of yours, which is a serious plus, but…a woman's _got_ to have that fire burning inside of her to attract me. Beauty alone won't do it."

"That's good to hear," Clark replied. "Very good."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm glad you aren't interested in her, because I am, and I _don't_ mean just as someone to pass the time with."

"So? You know you can't marry her," Harry said. "Court gossip when I was in Alemannia had you paired off with either my sister Chloe, Princess Maria of Iberia, or even Princess Alexandrie of Franconia."

"No Alemannian women at all? Not even Dax-Ur's daughter, Lady Ingrid?"

"You _wish _they'd let you get your hands on Lady Ingrid. She's almost as attractive as Mara."

"No, not Ingrid, though she is attractive." Clark made sure he had Harry's attention, so his friend would see how serious he was. "I have my heart set on Lana, and intend to convince my parents of her eminent suitability for the role and for me."

"You're shitting me!" Harry was flabbergasted. "You want to waste your position as crown prince on a relative nobody?"

"Be careful how you speak about my intended bride, Harry." Harry could see dark clouds on the horizon as Clark's fabled hot temper began to reveal itself. "She's the one woman I know that doesn't need my title to be a woman of consequence. She already is.

"And know _this: _if you lay a disrespectful _finger_ on her before, during, or after the ball, our friendship will be no protection for you from my anger. Treat her as if she was _already_ my wife, and everything will be fine."

Harry realized Clark was serious about this. He was in love with Lady Lana Lang and fully intended to marry her. Besides the pleasant fact that Clark marrying a nobody would make one more princess available for _him_ to marry, should Princess Mara not give in. Harry also knew this meant no post-ball hanky-panky with the nubile Lady Lana unless he _really_ wanted a front row seat as Clark unleashed his anger and power.

"Okay, Clark," Harry said, hands raised in a pacifying manner. "I can see you've actually lucked into love, and I'm not going to mess with that. You have my word that I will help Lady Lana enjoy herself at the ball, but I will not attempt to enjoy _her."_

Relieved to have Harry's word, Clark reached over and shook hands with him. "Thanks for that, Harry. I know you're a man of your word." As Clark released Harry's hand, he also released the dome of silence, and saw his friend to the carriage steps before turning back to the manor, where Lana was waiting.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Invitation

When Clark left Harry and headed back toward the building, all Lana wanted to do was greet him with a chaste kiss, but a kiss in front of the prince was the last thing she'd do right now. It might end up giving him an idea that she hands out kisses freely. Besides, a public show of such a personal emotion wasn't her style. Not allowing herself to kiss Clark didn't stop Lana from giving him a warm greeting though.

"Hi, Clark," Lana said, as he bounded up the steps. As he gallantly offered her his arm, she looped her arm around his and walked back into the manor with him. "How did your talk with the prince go?"

Clark looked at her out of the corner of his eye, and said, "I should ask the same thing of you."

"Maybe you _should, _but I asked first."

"All right. I told him about us and that I was serious about convincing my parents that you should be my wife. I also warned him to keep his hands off you, and he promised to do so…"

"Does that mean I can trust him now?"

"Mmm…be careful anyway. This is Harry's home. He may not feel bound to keep his word to me since I threatened him first."

"You threatened a prince," Lana deadpanned. "Here. In his own country."

"Making sure he knew you were off-limits was my primary goal. I thought it was the best way to keep you safe." Clark shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, it wouldn't be fair for me to kill him if I hadn't warned him first."

"You men…" Lana's face looked like she was somewhere between amazed and annoyed and not sure where to go next.

"Us men…_what?"_

"You all talk about killing like it's an every day occurrence, and in this case, _you're_ talking about killing a friend as easily as if you were talking about killing a mad dog. It bothers me. A lot."

"I'm sorry, Lana," Clark said. "I'll try to avoid talking about that with you in the future. But you have to know there are some people who only respond to force, or the threat of force."

"And being a prince, Harry is likely one of those people."

"For sure. Here in his own land, there are few constraints on the prince." Clark stopped a passing servant, and asked, "Has dinner been announced?"

Finding the answer to be 'no,' Clark asked Lana, "Where to now?"

Lana chose a sitting room on the east side of the house, figuring it would be cooler due to being sheltered from the afternoon sun.

Once he'd seated her and then taken a seat himself, Clark said, "And now comes the difficult part of what I have to tell you." Lana just raised her eyebrows as an inducement for him to continue. "Harry invited _me_ to the ball and said there would be a special courier tomorrow delivering an official invitation for me plus a guest."

Lana saw where this was going right away. All she asked was, "Which one do you want to ask?"

"I was _thinking_ of asking Alicia. She seems more likely to be an agreeable companion, and I also recall she's never gotten to attend a function like this before, so she should love to go."

"Why not Lois?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me. You two are just starting to get along."

"Yeah?"

"And now you want to go and insult her again."

"Insult her? How? I won't even be _talking_ to her."

Lana rolled her eyes extravagantly and scooted forward to the edge of her seat to emphasize her point. "She's the _older_ sister. It was embarrassing enough for her to stand and watch as _I _was matched up with the prince. She couldn't complain though because it was all done by the grand duke.

"If you come along and ask Alicia first, it will be seen by Lois, and possibly by Father, as an insult to Lois herself."

Clark's head sank into his hands, as stared at the floor and muttered, "Please tell me Lois doesn't have to get married before your father will allow you to marry. I've heard of that nonsense before, but never believed anyone still observed the custom."

"Get used to it, Clark. My family lives as far away from the capital as possible while still living in the kingdom. I suspect we may observe a number of customs that are wildly out of date in more fashionable circles."

"Oh…" _…crap! _Clark thought. "Soooo…should I ask Lois instead? Advise me please."

"Advice? Okay, talk to Father first. Explain your situation and ask him. My guess is he'll respect that you're asking him about how to deal with his daughters, and in the end, I believe he'll want you to ask Lois."

"And here I thought purgatory was saved for _after _death."

Lana couldn't help but smile, though she tried to hide it behind her hand. "Honestly, Clark, Lois isn't so bad. You two just got off on the wrong foot."

Clark winced. "You _would_ have to use a figure of speech that involves bad dancing." His stomach began to rumble, causing him to blush with embarrassment. "Sorry. Just hungry, I guess." Looking for something to change the subject, Clark asked, "How did your day with Harry go?"

"Fine. After lunch, I took a parasol and we went for a long walk on the grounds. One of my maids followed us along, at a slight distance, and we talked."

"What did you think?"

"You're right about him being charming, but he seemed to have a strong sense of self-importance, and placed a high value on his own opinions."

"Oh?"

"He didn't like it on the occasions when I didn't agree with him." Clark barked a short laugh. "And he _really_ didn't like it later on when we split our two games of chess."

Now it was Clark's turn to hide a laugh. "You must be good. I know Harry's a bit of a reckless attacker on the chessboard, but he is a decent player. You and I will have to play sometime."

"You play? Oh good! Lois likes to play, but treats each game like a life-or-death experience, and Alicia can't be bothered." Lana got an idea then. "Maybe you should play Father tonight after dinner and ask him for his advice then."

Clark and Lana sat together through dinner, and after dinner, Clark went to talk to Lord Lang in the library, but was pulled aside by Bruce.

"How's the hand?" Clark joked.

"Very funny," Bruce muttered. He didn't look or sound happy at the moment, making Clark wonder what he himself had done wrong this time. "I spent a very entertaining afternoon with Lady Lois. Once you get past the bluster, she's a warm and sweet woman. I hear I have you to thank for her visit, so let me get that out of the way first." Bruce faced Clark and gave him a slight bow. "Thank you…now, on to tearing you a new asshole."

_Here it comes, _Clark thought as he braced himself for Bruce's onslaught.

"In our talks, Lady Lois told me a number of things, including a story that when you went with Lady Lana on her shopping trip, you went to a Fuggieri bank, withdrew a large sum of gold, and used it to buy a lot of expensive adornments for Lady Lana's dress.

"Please, _please _tell me Lady Lois is confused."

"No," Clark replied, "she pretty much got it all correct."

Bruce pounded his fist against a wall. "Damn it, Clark! Why not just hire a herald to walk all over the city and announce you're here? Telling the bank personnel who you are, which you had to do to withdraw any money, just put you and me and your ten guards all at much higher risk. That was a thoughtless and selfish thing to do."

"It would be," Clark concurred, "_if _there was any substantial risk of the bank officers revealing my identity."

"If?"

"Yes, _if._ The whole Fuggieri banking business is predicated on reliable, discreet service. If word ever got out that the Fuggieri bank had revealed the identity of a client, or given any information about his transactions, the rush of depositors to empty their accounts, especially the wealthy depositors, would ruin their business."

"You sure are trusting those people an awful lot, and I don't like it."

Clark's reply was a bit frosty. "Thank you for your unsolicited opinion, Bruce, but you don't _have_ to like it."

"That wisp of a girl's got you wrapped around her finger so tightly that it's cutting off the blood to your brain."

"That's enough, Bruce. You've made your point." Bruce smoldered as Clark glared at him. "Got any other security concerns?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. When you were attacked the other day, the ten guards assigned to you were acting strangely for some time, and when the rider entered the yard, they took off running for the stables before the rider had said anything…how did they know?"

"Mmm…probably a spell. How mother did it without me being in the room, I'm not sure, but the spell probably was designed to alert them whenever I felt I was in danger."

"Well then, why didn't they go running as soon as the attack happened?"

"Could be the distance…we were a few miles away from the manor when the attack came. That could have been far enough of a distance to muddle the signal the spell was giving them. Once they saw the rider, it was likely enough to make them realize what had to be happening."

"Huh. I wish her Majesty had told _me_ about that."

"You and me both." Clark eyed Bruce, wondering if he should tell him about being invited to the dance by Harry. Deciding his guardian was already upset with him for having taken money out of the bank, Clark figured there was no point in waiting. "There's one more thing I ought to tell you now."

Hearing a start like that did not improve Bruce's mood any. "What?" he asked with trepidation.

"Just before he left, Prince Harold, my friend Harry, asked me to come to the Harvest Ball. An official invitation should be arriving tomorrow."

"Is that invitation for Sir Clark of Kent," Bruce asked, "or that other name we need not mention?"

"It should be for Sir Clark. If not, Harry's in for a reaming."

"You're going to go, aren't you?"

"A direct invitation from the prince? Of course I'm going. I can't afford to _not_ go. That would draw unnecessary attention from the palace, and Harry might have a hard time explaining who he had invited that thought himself above attending the event."

Bruce ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Shit." He thought quietly, and then said, "Is there any chance you can get me an invitation as well? I know you'll be taking your guards with you, but they won't be inside the palace if you get into trouble."

"Yeah, I imagine the idea of having the Dark Knight as a guest would be exciting enough to warrant an invitation." Clark eyed Bruce's clothing. "Does this mean I'll have to pony up the money for a new outfit for you?"

"Yeah. The money I'm being paid for my work here as arms master isn't going to be enough for something that nice."

"And don't forget, you'll need an escort. I _was_ going to be politic and ask Lady Lois for myself, but if you're going, I'll leave her to you and I'll ask Lady Alicia." As Clark started to walk off to go see Lord Lang, he called back over his shoulder, "Oh, and if you need a refresher on the current dances, rearrange your schedule with the soldiers and come by the dancing room after breakfast so you can practice with Lois."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

An Understanding

After Clark left Bruce, he resumed his walk to the library. When he knocked on the door, he received a surprised greeting from the lord of the manor.

"Well, hello, Sir Clark. It's a pleasure to see you at some time other than a meal. I figured my daughter was going to end up monopolizing _all_ your free time."

"Most, your Lordship, but not all." Clark gestured to a finely carved chess set that sat on a small game table nearby. "Lana tells me you play a skilled game of chess."

"I have my moments," Lewis allowed.

"Would you favor me with a game then, your Lordship?"

The two men sat down to play and few words were spoken during the first half hour of the game. Lana came to the door once to check up on her men, and backed away unnoticed when she saw them engrossed by their game. It wasn't until Lewis was sure he was going to lose the first game that he began to talk.

"This game has been over for ten moves. I resign." He suited his actions to his words by reaching for his king and tipping it over on the board. As they set the pieces up on the board again, this time giving Clark the white pieces, Lewis asked, "So what caused you to search me out at this time of night? If it was business, I'd expect for you to find me in the middle of the day while I'm working…seeing you here now, when I'm relaxing, especially with the way you and Lana keep looking at each other, makes me decidedly nervous."

"I don't deny how I feel about Lana, your Lordship, but she's not what I've come here to talk about…at least, she's not _all_ I've come here to talk about." Thinking this conversation could cover topics best left unheard by outside ears, Clark cast a dome of silence around them as the conversation continued.

Lord Lang nodded in agreement when he saw the purple glow in Clark's eyes as he cast the spell. "No? What then?"

"The Harvest Ball," Clark said simply.

"Why? Lana's going, thanks mostly to her stubborn protest against me keeping you two apart, and you aren't going. And don't think I can get you in either. If _so,_ I'd be wrangling an invitation for Lois, who _needs_ the exposure, or even Alicia, who would die to finally get to try her wings."

"How about _both?"_

Lord Lang said nothing, but raised his eyebrows in a show of polite interest.

"Prince Harold, who is well known to me, told me he was going to invite me to the Harvest Ball. The invitation is to arrive tomorrow by special courier, and despite my preference for remaining as private as I can after that incident on the road, this is an invitation I cannot safely ignore. Someone at the palace would be sure to comment on the self-possessed knight who dismissed such an important invitation.

"When Sir Bruce learned of this public engagement, he became worried I would be inside the palace with my guards outside, so I promised to use my connection to Harry to get him an invitation also.

"Thing is, in Krakovia, those invites come with obligations to find proper escorts." Clark shook his head slightly. "At least back home we just have to deal with dance cards."

"I know. You can't get stuck with a bad match all night long that way. Much more civilized…but, we are _here_ and thus have to do it their way."

"Which brings me to my point. Bruce would like to ask Lady Lois to accompany him, and I would like to ask the same of Lady Alicia. We don't want this becoming public knowledge until the invitations actually arrive, just in case Harry forgets mine and thus keeps me from relaying my request to his courier for Bruce, but both of us are asking for your permission to ask your daughters.

"Oh, and if you, and they, say yes…we'd also like to borrow your carriage, a team of horses, a driver, and footmen. The whole works."

"Is that _all?"_

"Mmm…yeah, I think so…unless you're ready for me to talk with you about Lana now."

Lewis closed his eyes and rested his forehead in his hands. "Oh God. What now?"

"It has come to my attention that you intend to find Lana a husband as soon as possible."

"That's correct. She's already invested too much of herself into a relationship, with _you,_ that has no good ending. The sooner I get her permanently settled, the better."

"When I first heard that, my immediate reaction was to send you a letter in my capacity as the Duke of Borussia that would forbid you from making marriage contracts of any kind for any of your daughters."

"But you're still a minor…oh shit. You _were_ a minor until I knighted you. And as I owe fealty to the Count of Ostfalen, who in turn owes fealty to you as the Duke of Borussia, approval of any and all potential marriages in my family is up to you."

"Yeah, it is. But I've thought better of that letter. You can make all the arrangements for Lois and Alicia that you choose to, but I _will_ block any attempt to attach Lana to anyone until the rebellion is over and I've had a proper chance to convince my parents that Lana is the bride for me. Remember, no betrothal contract is valid without my seal and signature on it."

"You're actually _serious_ about making my daughter the next Queen of Alemannia." Lord Lang looked like he was caught somewhere between disbelief and awe. _My little Lana…Queen Lana. _Lewis was so caught up in that idea that he failed to make the mental leap to the next generation, so Clark did it for him.

"Yes, I am…and that would _also_ make Lana's firstborn son, _your_ grandson, my successor as king." Lewis got a stupid grin that just wouldn't go away. "King Kal-El and Queen Lana. I fully intend to make it happen somehow, someway. Just _please_ don't try to take her from me first."

"Okay…until you've had a chance to win over your parents, I won't even try to set her up with a marriage. But how on Earth do you intend to…?" Lewis held his hands high in the air above his head, palms facing outward, and dipped his head. "Wait a minute, I do _not_ want to know. Just get it done."

"Thank you." Clark looked down at the pristine chessboard, and slid his king pawn two spaces forward. Having succeeded at his mission for the evening, an exuberant Clark felt like playing aggressively as he launched his pieces into a wild variant of the King's Gambit.

Lewis followed suit, sliding his black King's pawn forward two squares also. "You _do_ know your parents will soil themselves when you tell them you wish to marry Lana instead of some princess with a large dowry."

"Yeah, they will. I _hope_ they'll give me the chance to explain, and then give Lana the chance to prove herself. I swear five minutes alone with Lana should be enough to convince anyone."

While Clark had spent the day dancing and then talking to Harry and Lana, several hundred miles to the northwest, his sister Mara was living an idyllic life. The weather in Anglia was moderate, a welcome respite for her ladies from the heat of Alemannia, even though Mara herself didn't notice the change.

What she did notice was her host going to some lengths to entertain her. The Anglian noble ladies that joined her every day were a treat. After her first few days at court, when the people in charge learned what Mara was like, those ladies seem to have been drawn from those with the sharpest minds and most punishing wits, because Mara thoroughly enjoyed their company.

Mara didn't hunt for deer or boar like the men did, she didn't like that sort of aggressive riding through sometimes dense thickets of trees, but she did like to go hawking. She had a pair of prized peregrine falcons and took every chance she had to exercise them.

At least once a week, King Richard and a modest retinue would come along and join her hunt. He had a goshawk of his own, and they would spend a few hours at it before returning to the castle.

As Richard and Mara rode side by side, Mara slowly rolled the sleeve of her dress down her arm, before tying it snugly around her wrist. Richard himself had worn a thick, very tough leather vambrace for his goshawk to perch on so it's talons wouldn't maul his skin. He marveled that such a delicately beautiful young woman could let her peregrines land on either bare forearm with no harm.

"I've known of your people's attributes since I was small, Mara," Richard said, "but until now, I'd never seen them in action. I have to admit to wanting to defend you as your falcons swept in to perch on your arms. I mean, I kept expecting them to mangle your arms."

"No Kryptonians in Anglia, Richard?" Mara asked.

"No, none. Apparently your people concentrated on conquering the continents before coming out here, and then The Great Schism must have happened before the first Kryptonians could turn their attention to us."

Evening meals turned into long banquets with varying forms of entertainers each night. A traveling acting troupe might put on a few of their best plays one night, a lutist might sing heartachingly beautiful songs of bravery and chivalrous love the next night, while a craggy, old storyteller might have the crowd spellbound the next night with his tales that were always on the edge of being too fantastic to be believed.

As for what was happening back on the distant continent, Mara knew even less than her brother did. The distance was farther, and there were far fewer travelers between the island kingdom of Anglia and Alemannia. Still, Richard had standing orders for any word of the Alemanni rebellion to be brought directly to the princess _first,_ and then to him.

All of these little attentions took the embers of Mara's initial interest in Richard and fanned them into a small flame. It glowed brightly and hopefully, but still was in danger of being snuffed out. And as for Richard, he was finding more to like than just Mara's incomparable beauty. She never told him what she thought he _wanted_ to hear, instead, she told him what she thought. When they played board games like chess or backgammon, she didn't try to stroke his ego by allowing him to win; she tried to try to kick his ass, and did more often than not.

As the mass of men and women rode back from a hawking expedition one day, a couple of Richard's closest confidants rode off with him at some distance from the milling throng and began to question him closely.

"What's it like to be pursuing a woman instead of having her throw herself at your feet, Richard?" one Baron Howard asked.

"I feel more like a man and less like a king. To know a woman is completely unimpressed by my titles, and yet seems to be interested anyway, is exhilarating."

"What _I_ want to know," Baron Percy asked, "is what it's like pursuing a woman who could break you in half, _literally,_ without even breathing hard."

"What I want to know," Richard replied quietly, "is how a woman that strong and tough, can seem so soft, feminine, and utterly appealing…and then there's her brains."

While King Richard was pondering his question, Mara's parents were involved in asking more serious questions. The six Kryptonian men who had been captured during their attempt at kidnapping the king and queen were guilty of treason, and as such, were subject to immediate execution. Jor-El and Lara, however, decided to hold onto the six men in dark prison cells deep within the granite below Mecklenberg Castle, and use them as bargaining chips.

Once the six men had all lost their solar energy to the poisonous power of the green Kryptonite and were far underground, away from any possibility of seeing the sun, there was no harm in removing the green Kryptonite from them as there was no sun available to reenergize them. Kept in common cells, the six men were guarded by nothing more than the Duke of Salzerei's jailors as a sign of contempt for their now useless Kryptonian abilities.

Outside the castle, Dru-Zod kept his cavalry detachment on patrol to help prevent any escapes by the king and queen, who he _believed _had been in the lead-lined carriage. He wasn't sure, but definitely couldn't afford to take a chance, so, as he waited for the rest of his large army to catch up with him over the next week, Zod reviewed the terrain around the castle and made plans to detach a small part of his army to secure the approaches to the castle and keep the monarchs bottled up inside, in effect, putting the castle under siege.

Zod then spent time arranging a rudimentary supply line for the besieging troops as he waited for his scouts and spies to bring him word of the location of the loyalist army. He needed to find that army and smash it before it's very existence encouraged more wavering nobles to support Jor-El.

Using a few of his remaining Kryptonians as scouts, and having them flying high overhead for safety, Zod quickly learned where his enemies were massing and got his reorganized army on the road. This time he'd be able to keep his army together, as the need for speed wasn't nearly as great.

The loyalist army was commanded by another loyal duke, this one the Duke of Pannonia, Dax-Ur. He knew he only had a limited amount of time to integrate the various smaller armies into one homogenous whole, before Zod would be after him. It didn't help matters that he had no idea where any member of the royal family was located. He figured it would help his forces to have a member of the royal family among them so they'd have someone tangible for which to fight.

Worst of all, from his perspective, was that the steward in charge of Borussia while Kal-El waited to come of age did not appear to be releasing Borussia's rather large army to join in the royal cause. The one message he'd gotten from the steward was that his job was to preserve Borussia to the best of his ability and to not get involved in politics.

"Damned idiot," Dax-Ur had said upon reading that message, "if he does not get involved in 'politics,' there won't a duchy for Kal-El to inherit. It will have been given to someone else by the new king."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Dates

The next morning, the courier from the palace showed up with an official invitation for Clark and his guest while he was busy working on his hand-to-hand combat skills with Bruce. Along with the invitation had come an informal message from Harry telling Clark that the ambush was not the work of bandits. Though the men wore no uniforms, their armor and weapons were identical, indicating they'd all come from the same armory. That meant a noble.

As far as Clark was concerned, that likely meant the ambush had been set by the Duke of Alfaro as revenge for the beating laid upon his relative. But suspicion was not proof, and he still wanted to know whether the ambush was directed at Lana or at him.

If Lana had been the target, he shivered to think what might have happened to her in their clutches. Since the dancing master had been humiliated and then beaten, he wondered if they would want a ransom, or if they would have publicly humiliated Lana and then thoroughly beaten her as payback.

If he had been the target, he thought they would have tried to kill him, but Clark thought that unlikely as even the grand duke had thought he would just be considered a soldier who was obeying his master.

Before the courier left, Clark gave him a verbal message asking for an invitation for Sir Bruce Wayne, the Dark Knight, to attend the ball with a guest of his own. He figured the cache of having a guest with Bruce's dark reputation would more than make up for his distinct lack of rank.

Until Bruce had his invitation in hand, Clark wasn't about to let anyone know what was inside the thick, expensive-looking paper that had been folded over twice and sealed closed with red sealing wax and Harry's signet ring.

By the time Clark and Bruce had cleaned up and joined the household at breakfast, everyone knew a courier had come from the palace to deliver something to Clark, instead of to Lana. They were all abuzz, wanting to know what Prince Harold could possibly want with Clark. Lana knew what it had to be, but she played ignorant, allowing Clark to keep his secret. By late afternoon, just when Clark was finishing up dancing practice with Alicia and was thinking of dinner, _another_ courier arrived from the palace with the hoped-for invitation for Bruce.

Late that night, not long before the Lang ladies would normally head to bed, Bruce sent a note to their quarters asking for a private word with Lady Lois. Surprised and pleased, Lois walked out to meet Bruce with one of her maids in tow.

"Yes, Sir Bruce?" Lois asked.

Finding himself unaccountably nervous, Bruce used a finger to try and loosen his shirt collar which was suddenly feeling tight. _Give me an identifiable enemy to fight, someone with a sword,_ Bruce thought, _not this ephemeral pain in my gut that flares up whenever I think of Lady Lois._

Not being one to mince words, Bruce held up the opened paper, and said, "I suppose you've heard I received a sealed note from the prince today just before dinner."

"So we were told. No one could figure out how a knight had attracted the attention of the prince, but everyone was dying to know what your message said."

Wordlessly, Bruce handed over the paper and allowed Lois to read it.

Lois' eyes grew bigger with each new line she read, until she came to the bottom and the large, hastily scrawled signature she found there. It looked to her as if Harry had dictated the document itself to a scribe, but had taken the time to scrawl an illegible signature at the bottom of the document. She could not imagine how a knight had earned such an invitation, but there was his name as plain as day.

"I would like to know if you would consent to attend the Harvest Ball as my escort." Bruce paused a moment and then forged ahead. "I know I'm not the sort of escort to which a lady of your status is entitled, but I hope you'll look favorably upon my request despite that handicap."

Lois wanted to go and she _was_ starting to look on Sir Bruce with a favorable eye, but it was true that she wanted a nobleman as her escort. She wanted someone she could work on with an eye toward a satisfactory marriage. More than ever Lois was feeling her responsibility to marry well, and since it seemed Lana had Sir Clark all tied up _and_ because they didn't know if Sir Clark was an heir or a spare anyway, she had to let her idea of pursuing him go for now.

Still, going to the ball would give her a chance to meet available noblemen, and just getting to go should be fun. She was wondering just how well Bruce could dance, as she said, "Yes, Sir Bruce, I think I should like attending the Harvest Ball with you."

Bruce smiled in sheer relief, as the nervous energy that had balled up in his stomach dissipated with Lois' acceptance. Lois caught that look and thought she knew what it meant: Sir Bruce Wayne was interested in her…in _that_ way.

That moment of recognition changed things for Lois, in ways she couldn't even begin to say. His relieved smile was answered by a gnawing hunger in her belly to see that smile again, and to be the woman who _generated_ that smile.

_Oh God, not now, _Lois thought, _I can't be falling for Sir Bruce. I just can't! He's a nobody! _ But then her small voice spoke up and pointed out how handsome he was and how he treated her not as a woman who had to be protected like a porcelain doll, but as another person who just happened to be a woman.

She still remembered the way he'd ordered his squire to give her a beating back in Roskilde Castle. At the time she had been incensed by his assumption that Clark would thrash her, but now she looked back with great fondness on his treatment of her as just another soldier. It was all she had ever wanted from a man, but she got it from a knight with a vicious reputation instead of the man she'd been trying to please her whole life.

_I wonder what else I can get from him, _Lois wondered, as she returned his smile with one of her own.

When Clark came in for breakfast the next morning, everyone in the entire household was excitedly talking about Lady Lois' surprise invitation to the ball, and how handsome a couple she and Sir Bruce would make.

Everyone but Alicia that is.

Alicia moped through breakfast, spending more time playing with her food than eating it. The night before, she and Lana were dressed for bed, when Lois came charging back into their quarters with the news of her invitation to the ball. Lois had been so pleased with her sudden good fortune, that she had failed to see how every word she spoke sent her youngest sister deeper and deeper into depression.

_I'm **never **going to get to go to a dance, _Alicia pouted, heedless of the fact this was only the first dance she was old enough to attend.

Lana tried to cheer Alicia up, but the easily affected youngster wasn't listening and missed Lana's hints that things would be looking up for her soon. Lana finally gave up trying to get Alicia to understand that since both Clark and Bruce had received letters from the prince, then it was likely both had received invitations, too. Instead, she just held her sister close and let her vent.

Clark started off the dancing lessons that morning with a bang by bringing Bruce up to the dancing room to learn side by side with Lois. The two were fairly closely matched in size, and the significant difference in their ages seemed to help Lois more easily accept that he was going to be leading during their dances.

Clark was fairly surprised to find Bruce being self-deprecating about his dancing, but maybe that was his way of dealing with the embarrassment of not knowing what he was doing. It was clear Lois wouldn't be spending the _entire_ night dancing with Bruce, as there was not enough time before the Harvest Ball to teach him all of the dances on the list provided to Lord Lang.

When he spent his four hours dancing with Lana, the first words out of her mouth were about Alicia. "I see you found a way to go to the ball with Alicia anyway."

"Yeah. I think Bruce likes Lois."

"He _what?"_

"Likes Lois. You remember her, don't you? Your sister? The obnoxious one?"

"How do you know?"

"When Bruce came back to his bedroom to go to bed last night, I took a peek through the wall from my room to his room, and he had this smile…I don't know if I can explain it to you or not, but he looked so happy, so _pleased_ with himself, and that's not something I've seen in the time I've known him."

"Okay, so that explains why Bruce asked Lois." Lana folded her arms beneath her breasts. "So are you going to ask Alicia soon? Or are you going to let her stew all day long and wonder why she's being left behind?"

"Don't worry, my sweet. I will ask her as soon as she arrives for her lesson. Lessons that she doesn't really _need_ by the way. I'm thinking of ending her lessons and spending the extra time on Lois and Bruce. They _do_ need the time."

"Well…I'm sure she'll agree to whatever you want after you ask her to the ball."

"I sure hope so."

"She will," Lana said with confidence. Then Lana wanted to pass along a caution. "I know who you love, so I'm not worried about you, but I believe Alicia likes you, so don't lead her on, even accidentally. She can be fragile."

Spending four hours with Lana always left Clark on an emotional high, and today was no different. Alicia made her way into the dancing room not long after Lana left, but she seemed to be dragging, and in fact, was in the process of telling Clark she didn't feel like dancing today, when Clark apologized and then cut in.

"Alicia?"

"Yes, Clark?"

Clark froze for a moment, looking at Alicia's distraught face and wanting to see the change in it as he asked her his question.

"Will you go to the Harvest Ball with me?"

Simple, direct, and completely unexpected by Alicia, who still hadn't absorbed what Lana had tried to tell her the night before.

"Excuse me?" she asked, sounding both hopeful and disbelieving at the same time.

Clark took Alicia's hand, enfolded it between his two hands, looked her in the eyes, and said, "Will you, Lady Alicia Lang, attend the Harvest Ball with me?"

The change that swept over Alicia's face was immediate and absolute. From despondent and frustrated to eager and excited in a mere second. As soon as Alicia comprehended Clark's question, she threw her arms around his chest and hugged him hard.

"I'll take that as a 'yes.'"

"Oh yes!" When Alicia pulled back, her eyes were shining and her smile was genuine. "Thank you. I thought I was going to be left behind on the big night to wait for my sisters. Having to wait was bad enough back home when father decreed I was too young to go, but now that I'm old enough, waiting would've been intolerable."

Now that everyone had invitations to the ball, and with only a little more than two weeks left to go, there was plenty to be done. Clark had to work with Lord Lang's tailor on proper formal attire for both himself and Bruce. The girls, of course, had to have new ball gowns for such a grand occasion, which meant another trip into Varshova for costly fabrics. The bolt of muslin Lana had used to bandage the wounds of the soldiers after the ambush was replaced at the same time, and all of the shoppers went under very heavy guard, to make sure nothing happened like the last major shopping trip. Clark even flew high overhead, far out of human sight, to scan both sides of the road ahead of the shoppers from what was now known as Lang Manor.

Clark let the dressmakers know they were allowed to use the seed pearls and thread of gold he'd bought for Lana, which hadn't been used yet, on the dresses for Lois and Alicia. Meanwhile, he and Bruce were measured again by the tailor to be sure they hadn't changed in shape due to their workouts. He intended to sew two very exact suits of clothing.

All this time, Clark was teaching Bruce and Lois to dance, then spent time with Lana to make sure she was ready for Harry, before spending a couple of hours every afternoon with Alicia, who really didn't need the practice, but said she was nervous and wanted to be sure. Clark bought that and continued her lessons even though he wanted to end them. The thing was, Alicia wasn't really nervous, she just wanted to spend more time with Clark.

Meanwhile, Bruce was so determined to do well and not embarrass Lois, and himself, that he insisted on extra practices after dinner instead of their sword training sessions. He put in an exhaustive effort and went to bed footsore every night, but the effort was worth it. By the time the day of the ball rolled around, Bruce could competently handle three-fourths of the dances on the schedule.

Finally, after what seemed to have been an eternal wait for all involved, the day of the Harvest Ball was upon them.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Dressed to the Nines

The days had been getting noticeably cooler and shorter, but the leaves on the trees were still green as the entire household helped prepare the three Lang ladies for their debut in Krakovian high society. Not only did Lois and Alicia need expensive dresses, but Bruce and Clark needed fancy clothes of their own.

To help keep up his disguise, even though he was risking his identity by going out in public, Clark had decided to explain their obvious military prowess by having them both wear the full-dress uniforms of officers in the army of the Duke of Borussia. Technically, Clark is in that army, as its commander-in-chief, but for the dance he would claim a much _lower_ rank. With Bruce being older, he would need to claim a somewhat higher rank, which would be legal because Clark can give a position in his army to anyone he wants.

On the last day before the ball, Lord Lang had had his servants pull his carriage out and clean it from top to bottom, right down to the horses' tack. Clark and Bruce had spent several hours polishing their boots until they gleamed like oil on steel. The boots had been dry and looking abused, but working some leather oil into the boots, bit by bit, brought back the flexibility and shine to the boots.

Finally, it was time.

Lana had to be ready early because Prince Harold had to pick her up and have them back to the palace before the first guests arrived, as he had to be there in the reception line with his family.

The maids had started on Lana by spending a couple of hours working on her hair after lunch. It went from long and straight, to being swept up to the top of the back of her head, and then allowed to tumble down her back in a combination of heavy curls and ringlets.

Next up was a lavender-scented bath. Wanting to be able to fit into her corset, Lana had eaten very little at lunch, and knew she'd be ravenously hungry by the time the banquet portion of the evening's festivities began. The maids scrubbed every inch of her flesh to a rosy pink before drying her and then getting her into her underclothes.

Even with her slender figure and not having eaten much, Lana still had to suffer a bit as the maids laced her corset up the back. Her figure meant she didn't require many whalebone stays in her corset, but the garment still restricted her breathing and movements quite seriously. Once Lana's dress was pulled over her head and into place on top of several layers of underskirts, all that was left were her cosmetics. The maids went the full nine yards for this occasion, even using belladonna to dilate her pupils and make her eyes look larger and brighter.

Once ready, Lana stayed upstairs until Harry arrived in a massive gilded coach which was pulled by eight horses. Alicia and Lois swallowed hard when they saw that coach sitting in front of the manor, as they'd never seen something so grand. Or maybe they were looking at the grim looking set of guards that accompanied him.

As Harry stood inside the marble-floored entryway, Clark walked up to keep him company as they waited for Lana to make a grand entrance down the main staircase that ended right before their feet. Lord Lang had planned on joining them, but a last minute letter was keeping him in the library.

"Just another ball, eh, Harry?" Clark asked. His question was rhetorical, and both men knew it. While the girls were in for the biggest night of their lives, this was just another in a long line of social engagements for the two princes.

"So are you _really_ going to try and get your parents to accept Lady Lana as your bride?"

Clark slowly nodded his head. "I am determined."

"Good luck." Harry remembered the Els from his time in Alemannia, and wasn't especially fond of either one. "You're going to need it."

Just then, Lana made her appearance and all conversation between the men stopped as they watched her seem to float along the railing one floor above them. When she turned to start down the upper stairway and her entire outfit came into view, the two princes both uttered quiet 'wows' of admiration. Wearing her hideously expensive dress, Lana was moving much slower than usual, in an attempt at not falling and ruining such a creation.

"You _lucky_ bastard," Clark breathed.

"That I am," Harry agreed, without moving his eyes from Lana. "For one night anyway. Which of the other sisters are you escorting?"

"Alicia, the younger one. Bruce is taking Lois."

"Ah yes…the fabled Dark Knight. Will I get to meet him?"

"Besides the normal warm introduction in the reception line?" Harry rolled his eyes, as both men knew that in the reception line, you were doing good just to hear the name of the next couple coming in. Forget trying to really meet someone. "I'll make sure of it, Harry. Remind me if I don't."

Lana kept her eyes on where she was walking to keep from falling, but when the stairway made a ninety degree turn to face the men who were waiting for her, she saw the twin, open-mouthed stares of two men who were unabashed by their appreciation of the female form…or at least, of_ her_ female form.

That caused an apprehensive Lana to smile widely, and her smile pushed Clark to say, "Remember. Touch Lana in a disrespectful way, and there won't be any place you can hide from me."

Harry's mouth was bone dry, though whether from Lana's beauty or Clark's friendly-sounding death threat, he wasn't sure. "I'll remember."

Harry was dressed in the red and black full-dress uniform of his father's elite troops, his Household Guard. A short, stiff red collar edged in black with silver scrollwork climbed halfway up his neck, and there was silver braid running across his chest in parallel lines from button to button on the double-breasted coat. Belting his coat at the waist was a black leather sword belt from which a scabbarded long sword depended. The cuffs and hem of the coat were also edged in black, which matched the color of his knee breeches and knee-high glossy black boots.

But as handsome as he looked, Lana stole the show. Her dress was blue velvet, again with the currently in fashion deep, square neckline and puffed shoulders. Though the dress didn't have sleeves, Lana wore a pair of long white gloves that closely fit her arms and didn't come to an end until they were well past her elbows. The waistline was just below her breasts, and the rest of the dress was allowed to drape itself naturally over Lana's figure.

As far as Clark's expensive accessories went, the thread of silver was stitched across the surface of the blue velvet in a pattern of diagonal lines an inch apart one way, which were then crossed by an identical set of diagonal lines going the other way. Wherever two of the diagonal lines of silver met, a diamond chip was carefully affixed to the dress, so that every time Lana moved, even just a little bit, the silver threads shimmered and the diamond chips sparkled.

Between the glorious dress, her glossy, bouncing chocolate curls, and the natural beauty of her face and figure, Lana was ready to be the belle of the ball, just as Clark had hoped.

Both men bowed to Lana as she reached the floor, and were answered by her curtsy. Clark knew it was time for him to bow out and let Harry and Lana get on with things, but as he rose from his bow, he stepped forward and said, "You look…magnificent. Absolutely gorgeous." He started to lean in as if to give Lana a kiss, but then looked back at Harry who was, after all, her date.

"Go on, Ka…lark," Harry said, as he caught himself just in time, "get on with it so Lady Lana and I can go."

Clark's eyes just about leapt from his head when Harry almost slipped up, but then he turned back to Lana and just lightly brushed is lips against her cheek as he tried to avoid mussing her makeup. "I'll see you at the ball, Gorgeous. Maybe I'll steal you from him long enough for a dance or two tonight."

"Maybe…but since you won't let me know what you're going to be wearing," Lana pouted, "how will I know who you are?"

Clark leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Just look for the guy who loves you like no other. Some say it's in the kiss, but it's really not. With me, my eyes will let you know long before I touch you."

As Clark stepped back from Lana and waited for her to take Harry's arm, Harry said, quite amiably, "You two are the real thing, aren't you?"

"Oh yes, Prince Harold," Lana said. "I couldn't imagine anything better."

As the doorman opened the door and Harry led Lana to the massive gilded coach, Clark could hear Harry say, "Please, Lady Lana, call me Harold. It will look strange if we are together tonight and not on a first name basis."

"Okay," Lana replied, "then by all means, call me Lana."

Clark stood in the entryway, watching through the closed door as Harry handed Lana up into the coach and then followed her inside. Not having been around a palace and its accoutrements for roughly three months now, Clark wondered silently if the coaches his family used at their summer and winter palaces looked as overly extravagant as that. He searched his memory and concluded they might actually be worse.

He then raced for his rooms to begin his preparations. By now, Bruce was done with his bath, and the servants were setting up the tub with fresh wash water in his room. The whole time he was being washed, Clark smiled as he tried to imagine Bruce submitting himself to the indignities of having servants wash you…everywhere.

Clark did manage to wrestle his clothes away from the servants, however, as he wanted some time to himself to think. It was plain Harry knew Lana was off limits. Remembering what Lana had said about Alicia, he wondered what he could do to let her know _he_ was off limits, too. As Clark pulled on his military uniform, he looked down at the jacket and smiled. It was the uniform of an officer in his own army in Borussia, just like the ones in one of his closets back home, only it was much less ornate.

It_ was_ a green uniform coat, but that was where the similarities stopped. Instead of gold brocade twisting up his arms from his wrist to above his elbow, he had limited the tailor to a one-inch band on each cuff.

Instead of a mass of gold brocade that nearly covered his chest, the tailor had once again been held to a one-inch border along the hem, and then up the center where the two halves of the coat overlapped. And where the two halves pulled back and the wide coat lapels became evident, the lapels would normally be solid gold in color, but not for a simple lieutenant, his were solid green with a thin gold piping around the edges.

Like Harry's coat, Clark's had a short, stiff collar, but it was solid green with more gold piping and had a lieutenant's rank insignia embroidered inside in gold. On top of the shoulders were two gold-edged green shoulder boards with more golden rank insignias embroidered in the middle.

And finally, to show that he was a staff officer for the Duke of Borussia, which at his rank meant he was a gofer but one with a future ahead of him, Clark had two loops of gold braid attached to his right shoulder in front, passing under his shoulder, and attached to his right shoulder in back. The uniform pants were white knee breeches and the heavily polished boots were now a glossy black.

Bruce wore the same uniform, except he had a higher rank. Clark figured Bruce's greater age required a minimum rank of major, so his coat had two inches of gold brocade wherever Clark's had one and his lapels, collar, and shoulder boards had a little more gold than just piping. The only things exactly alike were the two loops of gold braid around the right shoulder.

"You know, Clark, I am a knight, but my last official military rank was a captaincy in the Royal Mountaineers."

"Well, my friend, welcome to the world of noble privilege. I can make you any rank I want in my own army, and I figure you're too old to support a captain's rank, so that's why you've got a major's insignia on your collar and shoulder boards."

"When do I start getting paid what I am most obviously worth?"

"As soon as my treasurer back home tells me how much a major makes these days." Clark cracked another smile. "You are going to have a lot of back pay coming once we get home…unless you give me some lip and I bust you down to private."

Just before the two men left their quarters to wait in the entryway for Lois and Alicia, they strapped on their sword belts, which were white, the traditional color for a knight, and hung their scabbarded swords from them.

Clark looked down at Bruce's elaborate Cipangan sword. He knew the blade was slightly curved with a single, razor-sharp edge, and he could see the hilt was wrapped with carefully knotted cords, but he couldn't remember seeing Bruce wear it since they'd come here to Krakovia.

When Clark commented on that, Bruce half smiled and replied, "Oh, I wore it once."

"When?"

"Back when you scared the shit out of me and got yourself attacked on the road." Bruce felt his heart race just reliving that moment. "I knew it was a life or death situation when your guards left here looking like they were in the fire brigade."

"You know," Clark replied, "I still don't feel anything for having killed those men. I keep thinking I ought to feel guilty or something, but I don't. Maybe it's because they either wanted to kill me or do something bad to Lana, but it bothers me that I'm not more upset about killing that many men."

Bruce stopped Clark in the middle of the hallway and turned to face him. "The fact that you've taken the time to stop and think about whether or not your actions were appropriate means you'll be okay. Believe it or not, there are times when the wholesale slaughter of your enemies is the only course of action available to you."

Clark thought back to a few of the stories of the Dark Knight he'd heard over the years. "So…what happened in the Rouchka Pass was…_necessary?"_

Bruce grunted and restarted his way down the hall. "Clark, you don't even _know_ what really happened that day. Don't make the mistake of judging me based on hearsay evidence."

Once they reached the entryway, Clark and Bruce took seats on a small bench that sat just inside the door. Being men, they were used to waiting for women who were intent on looking their best. Neither man was dumb enough to complain, especially given the results. The two sisters came out together, but they came down the stairway separately, with Lois coming down first.

The dressmakers apparently knew what Lana didn't, since the dresses the two girls wore both complimented the uniforms of their escorts very nicely. Lois wore a dress that was a warm brown in color and went nicely with Bruce's forest green coat. Lois marched down the stairs with loads of confidence, just daring either man to find her less than attractive. Both men had stood the moment the ladies appeared, with Clark looking briefly at Lois to see how she looked before turning his gaze to Bruce to see his friend's reaction.

Bruce seemed to be entranced. _Better you than me, _Clark thought, before wondering just how long it had been for Bruce to have any kind of romantic interest. _In any case, his problem with Lois is the exact opposite of my problem with Lana. I have too much rank for Lana, while he doesn't have enough for Lois._

Alicia was next, and while Lois' brown had gone together with Bruce's green to make an earthy combination, Alicia's dress color went for complimentary. Purple and yellow are complimentary, as are orange and blue, and green and red. Since Clark's coat was darker, a forest green, her dress was done in a lighter shade of red, almost a true pink.

Clark had to admit to himself that Alicia was almost as lovely as Lana, but she could've been _more_ lovely than Lana and it wouldn't have mattered, since nothing about Alicia caused him to feel that essential spark. He knew he needed to make sure she knew he was taken, but one look at her big, hopeful smile stopped any thoughts he might have had about raining on her parade now. It was her first big event; he couldn't possibly be cruel enough to crush her feelings now. He'd just have to be careful to not encourage her during the evening and then let her know later he was with Lana.

As the men complimented their ladies on their appearance, linked arms with them, and led them out to Lord Lang's carriage, both men checked their pockets to make sure they had their invitations on them, as they were positive they'd never get in the front door without them.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The Harvest Ball

Harry's massive coach came to a stop at a private family entrance to the palace. It was closer to where they were going. Lana somehow felt like she was in a dream of some sort as she was helped down from the coach by one of the footmen who had been standing on the back of the coach. She realized what kind of social circle she was moving in when she saw the servants around her had on finer attire than many of the guests who would have attended one of the smaller balls her father hosted back home.

After Harry followed Lana out of the coach, he led her inside. Finding they had plenty of time before he had to be in the reception line, Harry gave Lana a quick tour of the public areas of the palace. She was in awe of the paintings, tapestries, and statuary that seemed to be strewn around the hallways like they were afterthoughts, things that to Harry were just part of the everyday scenery.

When it was finally time for Harry to make an appearance, he and Lana headed for what Harry referred to as the reception room. Lana was picturing a cozy small-to-moderate sized room, like back home in Roskilde Castle, where her family greeted their guests.

Not so here.

Lana was led into a large room with a vaulted ceiling and a marble floor. As their feet clicked across the floor, Lana recognized a few of the people on the far side of the room from her previous visit, but ever the proper host, Harry started telling her who the rest of them were before they got close enough for introductions.

"Of course you remember my parents, Charles and Sophia, and my sister Chloe from the other day, but the rest of the people you see here are family members…cousins of one sort or another mostly. Father decided they were close enough to not be made to wait in line with everyone else."

Lana secretly marveled at knowing someone who could so blithely toss off the names of such powerful people without even worrying about using their titles. She had to remember it wasn't just Charles, Sophia, and Chloe, but Grand Duke Charles, Grand Duchess Sophia, and Princess Chloe. _Can't go around insulting people. Definitely not the way to represent the House of Lang._

The grand duke saw his son and Lana just before they reached his side. As he and his family turned to greet them, they saw Lana curtsy low and hold it, while his son bowed from the waist at a forty-five degree angle.

"Please rise," Charles said.

As they did, Harry made to introduce the new and non-mourning Lady Lana. "Father, Mother, Chloe, I take great pride in introducing my companion for the evening. You all saw her in the throne room a few weeks ago, but now is the time for you to meet the real Lady Lana Lang.

"Lana, this is my father, Grand Duke Charles, my mother, Grand Duchess Sophia, and my sister, Princess Chloe."

"That's _Crown_ Princess Chloe to _you, _Harold," Chloe said with a smile. Chloe looked at Lana, and said, "Harold just doesn't like to be reminded that I'm the heir." Chloe looked Lana over, and said, "You really are beautiful, Lady Lana, and combining your beauty with that stunning dress will make Harold have to fight off half the men in the palace just so he can dance with you."

"Thank you, your Highness. You're too kind," Lana said, blushing furiously at the compliment.

"No, I'm not, just ask Harold." Harold nodded in support of what his sister said. "I don't believe in sucking up to people because it's a form of lying. Luckily, I'm in a position where I don't have to do too many things I don't wish to do."

Charles looked at his daughter in a manner that told her her time for speaking was over. "I just wanted to say how much brighter and more beautiful you are today, Lady Lana. And considering how I thought you looked in your rather severe black outfit, that's saying something."

"You really are lovely, my dear," Grand Duchess Sophia said. Her voice was quiet but clear, as if she knew any time she chose to speak, people would be straining to hear every word. The grand duchess had an elegance about her that Lana admired and very much wished she could emulate. _There's a woman who will catch the eye of everyone in the room without having to wear a bejeweled dress, _Lana thought, _and she has such a commanding presence. _

"Thank you, your Majesties," Lana said, before Harry took her to be introduced to his cousins. He knew she'd need someone familiar to stay with until the reception line was through, or until her sisters and their escorts found her.

The reception line was already well-formed and already moving into the reception room by the time the Lang carriage, it's team of four horses, and a heavy escort comprised of Clark's ten guards and an equal number from Lord Lang, arrived.

The carriage traveled up to the palace, with the encroaching darkness being held off by large torches spaced intermittently along the sides of the winding cobblestone road. The straight, wide avenue through the palace's parkland was similarly lit, making trees that were benign by day look like craggy monsters at night.

They finally reached Slonce Palace and waited in line for half a dozen other carriages and coaches to disgorge their elegantly attired passengers, before it was time for Lois, Alicia, Bruce, and Clark to alight from their carriage.

More torches lit the perimeter of the palace, making the broad steps of the formal entrance quite bright enough for foot traffic. Bruce offered his arm to Lois, and the two began to ascend the steps. Clark and Alicia both stood still for a second, watching their elders go.

Clark half turned to Alicia, and asked, "Do you think…?"

"My sister and your mentor?" Alicia cocked her head to one side. "Maybe. But not unless he becomes a man of substance." Then she eyed Clark out of the corner of her eye. "Or unless Lana or I marry one first."

"It could happen." Clark said, as he offered Alicia his arm. She took it and they ascended the steps, just as the next carriage rolled up behind them.

Both men showed their invitations at the door, and each couple was admitted as if they were long time friends of the ruling Ambrecht family. To the servants, the only thing that mattered was that sheet of paper. Bruce had felt like some kind of fraud while climbing the steps, and had half expected, even until the last second, to be booted out of the ball as an interloper.

Bruce and Lois waited just inside the main doors for Clark and Alicia. When the youngsters came in, Bruce noted how at home Clark looked. He knew Clark had never been here in his life before this moment, and yet there were no nerves apparent as he looked over the entrance way. _Of course, _Bruce thought, _I have to remember I met him in a palace much larger than this one, and that was the place he called home._

Lois looked at her little sister. She saw how Alicia's eyes were moving from side to side, trying to drink in all the sights of her first night out as an acknowledged adult. _Lana and I have always known Alicia would shine once given the chance,_ Lois thought. Then, eyeing the way Alicia looked up at Clark and tightened her hold on his arm, she hoped Alicia didn't have designs on Clark, because it had been increasingly clear over the past few days just how close Clark and Lana were becoming. _And in any case,_ Lois added, _we still don't know if he's marriage material or not._

The two couples walked down the hallway, following the lights and sounds to locate the reception room. What they found was a lengthy line of waiting guests which was slowly disappearing into a room on the left side of the wide hallway, halfway to the next corner.

"Looks like someone inside is in a hurry," Clark said.

"How can you tell?" Bruce asked. "It looks like this line couldn't move any slower."

Both women agreed with Clark, but stayed silent to see what each man would say. "I've been in a number of these lines before, Bruce, and it's obvious the grand duke isn't allowing people to stop and chat as he greets them. That sets the tone for the rest of his family, resulting in a decently fast line."

"Huh." _If this is a quick moving line, _Bruce thought, _may I never get stuck in a slow moving line at one of these things._ _I'd lose my mind._

It turned out that the line ended at the door. Immediately inside was a man whose job it was to collect the invitations, a last security provision against someone sneaking in. The next man asked the names of both people in the couple and then loudly and clearly announced them to the grand duke and his family, once the last couple had cleared the line.

"Sir Bruce Wayne and Lady Lois Lang!" The man had a voice made for this job. It made Bruce feel somewhat more important just to be announced that way, as if he really belonged here. Having seen the couple before them, Bruce knew to let Lois go first, which is what he would have done if he had had to guess.

Lois wasn't too comfortable but relied on her long-ago training to see her through. When Bruce made it to the grand duke, the older man stopped him and asked, "Sir Bruce Wayne. Why do I know that name?"

Bruce wasn't sure if he was supposed to answer, but was saved from having to guess when an aide stepped up and whispered into the grand duke's ear.

"Oh yes. The young knight who single-handedly cut down an entire gang of smugglers in the mountains all those years ago." The grand duke looked Bruce over again. "Not so young now, but his hands have the callouses of a swordsman, and that sword at his side…I haven't seen a Cipangan sword in more years than I'd care to count."

"I'd offer to show it to you, your Grace," Bruce eyed the lethal-looking guards standing behind the grand duke, "but I suspect your men wouldn't like that."

"I suppose you're right. Move along now."

Bruce continued on. The grand duchess greeted him with as much warmth as if he was a piece of furniture. Chloe enjoyed his obvious rugged handsomeness, and Harold looked at him admiringly, hoping to speak with him in depth later.

Next up were Alicia and Clark. She floated down the line, handling her introductions with aplomb. Clark was right behind her.

"Sir Clark of Kent. Another Alemanni knight…whose name claims he's from Anglia." Curious, the grand duke just had to ask. "What did you do to earn an invitation? Sir Bruce is at least someone of whom I've heard."

"I did nothing, your Grace, except become friends with your son during his year in Alemannia."

"Ah. Good."

Clark took that as a dismissal and moved down the line. While Clark was being greeted by the Harry's mother, Chloe got her first good look at him and felt her eyes just about bug out of her head. Whoever this knight was, he was more gorgeous than anything out of her best dreams. She'd heard him say he was Harold's friend, and that meant she was definitely going to get a more personal introduction later, if she had to twist Harold's ear to do it.

Chloe flashed her most brilliant smile at the handsome knight and put as much warmth into her greeting as she could. She wasn't sure how he was reacting until he caught sight of her cleavage. She saw his eyes open wide then, and was beginning to think he was just like any other male, when he said, "That is a rather remarkable necklace, your Highness."

"Thank you, Sir Clark," Chloe said as she looked down at her necklace and fiddled with it. The move made the emeralds glitter in the light, throwing little green sparks everywhere. Moving the necklace around also had the intended side effect of getting Clark to look back down at her décolletage and the creamy expanse of skin just above it. "The necklace was a gift from an admirer. A little bit extravagant, but much appreciated nonetheless."

Clark suddenly felt a knot form in his stomach as he realized it was very possible for him to be forced to marry this woman for the sake of the kingdom, no matter what he wanted. Wanting to get their relationship off on the right foot, just in case, he tried to force some warmth into his voice, as he said, "It _is _beautiful, your Highness, but not nearly as beautiful as you."

And Clark readily admitted she was beautiful. With her long blonde hair, green eyes, vibrant smile, and curvaceous figure, she was beautiful enough for most any man. Well, any man that hadn't already fallen in love with Lana Lang. After Lana, all other women just fade into the background.

Chloe smiled widely and Clark moved on to Harry, who this time was careful to use the correct name. "Hi, Clark."

Clark grinned, as Harry beamed after getting it right. "Hi, yourself, Harry." He looked around theatrically, and then added, "Nice place you've got here."

"Thanks." Harry almost responded by saying it was nice but nothing like Clark's residences back in Alemannia, but then he realized that would be as dangerous as calling him Kal.

Once Clark was done with Harry, he reconnected with Alicia and asked her if she would like a drink while they waited for everyone to file into the room.

"Yes. I'd love that."

"Stay here then. I'll fight my way through the crowd and be right back with your drink."

Alicia stood with Lois and Bruce, just drinking in the sights and sounds of her first ball. She'd heard stories, read books, and dreamed about this night for so long that she almost couldn't believe it was finally here. And then there was her escort. Handsome, strong, kind…in the back of her mind, she knew Lana was interested in him, at least a little bit, but she refused to admit the possibility of anything more. This night was _her_ night, and Clark was _her _man, and nothing was going to change that.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Introductions

Clark had no idea how well Alicia handled alcohol, but he was sure he didn't want to find out tonight. As her escort, he was determined to make her big night as enjoyable as he could, and one way of assuring that was making sure she didn't get drunk and make a fool of herself, so he looked for something safe for her to drink. The safest drink Clark could find was a goblet of well-watered wine.

Clark got one for each of them, even though booze didn't affect him, so she wouldn't feel like he was treating her like a little kid. Knowing the way these kinds of things tended to go, he figured they were likely to have a different wine with every course of the meal, so she could still get drunk, especially if she didn't eat much. Weaving his way through the crowd on his way back to the tight knot of his friends, Clark took advantage of his height and looked around in an attempt at locating Lana.

It didn't take him long.

Clark had every detail of Lana's appearance etched into his mind. The first thing he saw were bouncing, chocolate curls. That drew his attention long enough for him to catch a brief glimpse of sumptuous blue velvet crisscrossed with silver and studded with diamonds, before she was swallowed up again by the crowd.

All he could tell from his brief look was that she was surrounded by a small crowd of people. He hoped she was being received with kindness, but knew any number of the women here might see her as a threat if they thought she was a serious candidate to be Harry's wife. That could cause anything from cattiness to outright hatred. He thought Harry was smart enough to have made provisions to protect Lana from that kind of behavior, but he couldn't be positive. Clark was sure Lana could handle a few mean-spirited women, he just didn't want her to have to.

Making it back to Alicia and Lois, Clark allowed his date to choose her goblet and then took a sip of his before asking where Bruce had gone.

"He's getting drinks for us," Lois said with a smirk. "I can tell he's new, or at least rusty, when it comes to gentlemanly behavior, but he _is_ trying."

Alicia was too excited to notice the watered down wine, and she only sipped enough to wet her mouth anyway. They waited for Bruce, who came back with full-strength wine for himself and Lois. He figured she could handle the wine, and would likely stomp on his foot if he brought back the other stuff.

Lois thanked Bruce for her wine and noticed immediately that the grand duke was not pouring the cheap stuff tonight. Bruce didn't notice, nor did he really care; he preferred ale or porter to any wine at any time.

Looking to make conversation, and knowing what the rank insignia on Bruce and Clark's uniforms meant, Lois asked them for the name of the military unit of which they were supposed to be a part.

"The Duke of Borussia's army, Lois, hence the green and gold," Bruce said. "We're here on half pay while Clark gains some seasoning. But since he's got his knighthood, which makes him an adult and makes his new rank official, we may be heading home sooner than anticipated."

Clark raised an eyebrow at that, mainly because they hadn't discussed the possibility of going home yet. The idea had some merit though. Right now his lands and army were under the administrative control of his steward, and would remain so until he returned to his capital to announce he'd reached his majority a little ahead of schedule.

Bruce's statement that he and Clark were on half pay was all Lois needed to hear. Having wanted to be a soldier most of her life, she understood the concept, and it gave Bruce and Clark perfect cover. With Lois anyway.

Half pay meant Clark and Bruce were supposedly giving half their pay as officers in the duke's army to other officers, who didn't have positions of their own, who would perform their duties until they returned to reclaim their positions. It was a time-honored happening in the various military units all across Alemannia, and the two men thought nothing of it.

"I wish I knew a few people here besides Harry," Clark said, as he looked around, hoping to find someone he knew to whom he could introduce his friends. The four Alemanni subjects felt like a lonely island in the midst of a sea of Krakovians. That was, until a distinguished elderly couple made their way through the crowd to make their acquaintances.

The girls recognized the Count and Countess of Ellsinore from the brief stopover they'd made at the ambassador's residence on their way back home from their previous visit to the palace. They worked together to turn their escorts toward the ambassador and his wife, and then waited for either the count or the countess to speak.

"Lady Lois, Lady Alicia," Lord Pierzynski said, acknowledging the people he already knew. "You ladies look lovely tonight."

"Always flirting with the young women, Eduard," his wife Constance said. Her voice was light though, telling all who heard she did not fear a roving eye. "What ever am I to do with you?"

"Stay married to me?"

"As if I'd ever leave you."

Lady Pierzynski eyed the two officers who were escorting the Lang girls and wondered how they could have possibly gotten invitations to this event without first going through her husband. "Would you ladies be so kind as to introduce us to your handsome escorts?"

"Yes of course, Countess. Right away," Lois said. Being eldest, she went first. "Count and Countess of Ellsinore, this is Sir Bruce Wayne, who is currently a major in the Borussian army."

Everyone in their little group clearly heard the countess hiss when she heard Bruce's name. Bruce was used to that sort of reaction, and had long since tired of trying to explain what had happened in Rouchka Pass.

"The Dark Knight," Lord Pierzynski said. He knew, far better than his wife did, that rough men were needed to defend Alemannia.

"Yes, your Lordship. So I am called."

"You don't flinch from that name."

"No. I can't stop people from using it, so, instead, I've embraced it. I find it gives me an advantage over most people I meet." He chuckled and glanced at the countess. "They start backing up as soon as they hear my name."

Lord Pierzynski turned to Clark. "And who is this young man?"

"My escort is Sir Clark of Kent, and he is a lieutenant in the Borussian army." Alicia sounded as proud of Clark as she would be if she was his mother.

Lord Pierzynski's eyes opened wide as he looked at the young man who was reputed to have single-handedly stopped a rather vicious attack on Lord Lang's carriage. He didn't say anything, knowing without being told that here was not the place to ask any questions, but he knew without a doubt this knight was _not_ named Clark of Kent.

_Anyone who could butcher twenty-four soldiers in a second or two is obviously a Kryptonian and has a family name like Ur, Zod, or El_. That last family name stuck in the count's mind. _The king has a son whom I have not seen in five years. Rumors from home say Kal-El has disappeared. Could he have reappeared here? He looks to be the right age._

"So…you are from Kent, Sir Clark?" Lord Pierzynski asked.

"No, my Lord, it's just a cover. You'll understand that no one can know who I truly am in these troubled times."

"To be sure." Hearing Clark's voice told Lord Pierzynski something that no one else in attendance would be likely to notice: whoever this 'Sir Clark' really was, he spoke with the accent of someone who'd spent a lot of time in or near the capital. "Should you require my assistance at any time during your stay, don't hesitate to come by the residence. Your lovely ladies can tell you the way."

As the count and countess drifted off, the grand duke and duchess were about to lead the way into the State Dining Room for the dinner. Princess Chloe was lined up behind them with a tall, handsome young lord at her side, and right behind them was Prince Harold, with Lady Lana Lang at his side.

The rest of the couples lined up behind the ducal family, in no particular order, and followed them to the door of the dining room. Once there, things became a bit complicated.

The dining room, which was floored with polished wood that gleamed in the candlelight, had rich red fabric covering the walls, and three giant gold and crystal chandeliers blazing away overhead, was lined with two immensely long tables that ran the length of the room. Places were set on both sides of each table, leaving enough room in between them for the servants to rush food in and empty plates and bowls out.

Seating for this meal was not a matter of walking in with your escort and finding a name card. This was to be different. Each couple gave their names at the door and a senior servant looked down a list, finding a seat location for both people, each of whom followed a servant to his or her seat. All of the couples were split up, mostly to promote meeting new people and so that many a raconteur's old stories would find a new audience.

Most of the nobles were seated by the time the four Alemanni reached the door. Bruce was taken to the far end of the table on the left, while Lois was taken to the near end of the same table. Clark could see Alicia tighten up a bit at the idea of being abandoned by the few people she knew, but he just winked at her and said, "You've been dreaming of this since you knew what a ball was, Alicia. Relax. Have fun. This is what you've waited for."

Then it was their turn. Alicia was led to a spot at the left hand table near the middle, not too far from where the grand duke was stationed, and Clark was taken to the far end of the right hand table. A quick look around showed him the grand duke and his wife were each stationed at mid-table, with her at Clark's table and the grand duke at the other one.

Chloe, Harry, and their two escorts were each seated at one end of one of the tables. Chloe was at the end of Clark's table, sitting right next to him, while Lana was at the same end of the other table. Since he was on the outside of his table, Lana and Clark were fifteen feet away and could clearly see each other.

The meal was long, the food was delicious, and Princess Chloe only ran her toe up the length of Clark's booted calf three times, all while keeping her conversation bland. Clark was surprised by the princess' blatant come-on, but he'd dealt with worse, like on his fourteenth birthday when Lady Elizabeth Rosenthal had snuck into his bed, hoping to make the young prince a man.

Gorgeous, blonde, blue-eyed, the twenty-two-year-old mother of four, and the wife of the Duke of Stettinger, Lady Elizabeth had expected to teach a nervous teenager how to please a woman, but instead had been sent away. In no hurry to leave, despite her dismissal, Lady Elizabeth had made getting dressed seem twice as sexual as most women getting undressed, but Clark had found himself pretending she was of no interest to him so she wouldn't come back.

That had started some 'Kal is gay' rumors, which were immediately followed by counterclaims from women who claimed he had slept with them. Those confusing claims had taken weeks to quash, as Clark couldn't state in public that he'd never had sex yet, since that would only serve to boost the claims of those who thought he was gay.

Compared to _that_ hullaballo, a little footsie with a comparatively plain princess was easy to deal with.

The dessert course was over soon enough, and the grand duke and his family led the way into the Grand Ballroom. Matching up partners was easy as the majordomo called out couples in strict order of rank once the grand duke and family had left. Once a called out couple was on their way to the door, the next couple was called, and so on. Bruce and Lois were called just before Clark and Alicia, and thus the two couples entered the parquet-floored ballroom together.

Everyone was on the periphery of the dance floor, as Grand Duke Charles and his wife Sophia took position, with Princess Chloe and her man on one side, and Prince Harold and Lady Lana on the other. Those three couples started off the dance, and Clark watched with particular pride as Lana glided over the dance floor in Harry's arms, making nary a misstep.

That first dance was a short one, in deference to the grand duke's well-known dislike for dancing, and the end of that dance opened up the floor to all. Bruce had memorized the list they'd received from the grand duke to know which dances he knew adequately, and which ones he'd be better off sitting out. Both men turned to their ladies and asked if they'd like to dance. Receiving pleased assents, the men walked their ladies onto the floor and waited for the music from the small ensemble which was stationed in a balcony overhead.

"This is going to be so different dancing to actual music, instead of having you call out the beat, Clark."

"Yeah. You're ready though. The music will just make it more fun."

Clark and Alicia floated effortlessly through the first handful of dances. Just as Clark had said not too long ago, Alicia hadn't needed much of a refresher. While Clark was concentrating on Alicia, he was keeping one ear out for what Lana was doing. He desperately wanted a dance or two with her, but wasn't sure how he was going to manage to get away from Alicia without hurting her feelings…and as her escort, he owed it to her to stay with her.

Help for him came from an unexpected quarter, as someone who wanted a more personal meeting with Clark, sent her younger brother to make it happen.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Tradition

Lana's party started off rather smoothly. While the grand duke and his family were in line receiving their guests, she was chatting pleasantly with Harry's cousins. They'd all heard how the match had been made, and were curious to know why she'd worn black to her formal introduction. She was careful in choosing what to tell them. She let them know it was a result of her and her father having a disagreement over the young man she was seeing, but she didn't let them know who it was.

After that, a steady stream of young nobles came over to pay their respects to Harry's cousins. Lana was introduced to all of them, with a number of the males choosing to stay around and make Lady Lana's acquaintance. After all, no one truly expected Harry to marry the girl, but an attractive noblewoman such as Lana might be just the right woman for someone of lesser stature.

When Harry finally made his way through the crowd to claim Lana's hand and lead her out onto the dance floor, he saw the small crowd around her and shook his head. "I'm sorry you had to be subjected to that."

"Oh, don't be, Harold, everyone was delightful. Your cousins were very helpful, making sure I was properly introduced to everyone who came by. I hope I get a chance to thank them for their support later."

"Good, I'm glad things worked out. I'll see to it that you get your chance to thank them later."

As they danced the ceremonial first dance, she felt like a princess from one of the books Alicia always seemed to fancy. It felt like everyone's eyes were on her, and she thought the dress she was wearing might actually make that true. She couldn't ever remember looking so beautiful in her life. Still, there was one thing missing: Clark. As nice as Harry had been, the one thing that would've made this moment better, would've been to share it with Clark.

The strange thing was: she could feel Clark's eyes on her like a touch as she danced that first dance. She didn't have time to search for him, as her eyes were fixed on Harry, but she would have sworn she could reach out and point right to Clark. She tried to sneak a peek in his direction once the short dance was over, but the way was blocked by the other couples making their way onto the dance floor.

Lana danced the next two full-length dances with Harry, before one of the young men she'd been introduced to not so long ago, in this case the Count of Besancon's son, Lord Michael Badeau. Harry looked at Lana, to see if she wanted to dance with the young man, and when she showed no objection, Harry allowed Michael to escort her to the dance floor.

Michael was a good dancer and a better gentleman, and the two dances she shared with him were wonderful. Lana took a break after that, but soon she and Harry were back on the dance floor for two more, before Harry received a folded note from a servant. The note was read quickly, and caused Harry to grimace slightly before asking Lana if she minded spending some time with her younger sister.

Lana didn't mind at all, especially since it meant she'd get a chance to see Clark. He hadn't let her know what he was going to be wearing, so she was more than slightly curious to see what he had on. She couldn't imagine him looking anything less than gorgeous, but she wanted to see him for herself.

Lana and Harry spotted Clark and Alicia and were almost up to them before Alicia spotted them in return and nudged Clark. Lana loved the helpless smile that spread across Clark's face as soon as he looked up. She also loved how he looked in his stiff-collared coat of green and gold, his white knee-breeches, and glossy black boots. The outfit looked martial, especially once she saw the sword belted at his side, but she couldn't manage to place what unit it belonged to. _Maybe Lois can tell me, but I'll give Clark the chance to tell me first. He shouldn't mind, now that I've seen his uniform._

Clark had Alicia on his arm as they headed for some refreshment before taking a seat, when Alicia spotted Harry and Lana and gave Clark the nudge to alert him. He looked where she was indicating and couldn't help the smile that spread across his face upon seeing Lana.

Alicia didn't notice it, however, as she was focused on Harry. She knew enough to know Harry wasn't going to be the next grand duke, not unless his sister died, but she assumed he'd still play an important role under Krakovia's next ruler. It was something for her to think about if he ever became available.

Clark, on the other hand, was so focused on Lana, as she and Harry wove their way through the crowd, that Harry could have been Dru-Zod himself and not drawn a second glance.

With each bounce and twist of Lana's dress, the diamonds sparkled and the silver shimmered, but neither could hope to compete with the gleam in her eyes or the glow of her skin as she came to a stop just in front of him.

"Hi, Clark!" Lana said.

Lana's smile was nothing short of electric; it let Clark know she had been truly enjoying herself so far. "Hi, Lana." He tilted his head toward his host. "Hi, Harry. What brings you over here? I thought you'd either be schmoozing with the Krakovian elite, or dancing with Lana."

Harry and Alicia had already exchanged greetings, when Harry said, "Actually, Clark, I'm here to take your escort off your hands."

Clark raised an eyebrow at that. "Isn't _one_ Lang woman enough for you?"

"There is no such thing as 'too many beautiful women,' Clark. You should be old enough to know that by now."

"I don't know about that, Harry. What I do know, however, is that one woman can be more than enough, if you choose wisely."

Clark was talking to Harry when he said that, but his eyes were locked on Lana the whole time. She dipped her head and blushed as she did so, but Clark saw the smile that crept across her face. He meant what he said: he had Lana now, he didn't need anyone else. Whether his parents saw it the same way was another matter entirely.

"Seriously, Harry, what's up?" Clark asked.

"I wasn't kidding about coming over here to take Lady Alicia. I have the ability to show her around and introduce her to any number of noble families. You both know the benefits of that, and while she's making the rounds with Lana and me, you have an appointment to keep."

"I do? Where? Who with?"

Harry pointed to a narrow door that was guarded by two hulking soldiers. "Through there. The guards know to expect you." Harry followed Clark just long enough to get away from the women. "Clark? Tell her the truth about you. Whatever your intentions are with Lana, they may not happen. You may end up marrying my sister despite what you want. Don't start off your relationship by making her look like a fool."

Clark nodded thoughtfully before turning and making his way to the guarded door. The guards didn't even flinch as Clark walked by, but as soon as he passed through the door, they crossed their wicked looking halberds across the doorway.

The door Clark walked through led into a darkened hallway. One room halfway down the hall was well lit, making it plain to Clark where he had to go. As he stepped into the puddle of light, Clark turned and looked inside. As expected, Princess Chloe was waiting for him, and her cleavage was much more visible than it had been during the meal. It took him a second to realize that was because she'd taken off the necklace he'd bought for her. Clark stood still and quiet, waiting to be recognized. It wasn't long before Chloe looked up and her gave him a small smile that barely bent her lips.

"Come in, and close the door behind you, please. No one will be allowed to approach us. Here we will be free to talk. Only my parents can get past those guards, and they've likely gone to bed by now."

Not sure what was going on, but damn sure it wasn't a seduction, Clark shut the door and approached the princess. When Clark came to a stop several feet away from Chloe, she closed the distance, grabbed his green coat by the lapels, and pulled him down for a kiss. Despite the kiss, Clark was still sure Chloe didn't want him that way, at least not now, but he had been sure she had been interested during the meal.

"What was that for, your Highness?"

Chloe casually licked her lips as she looked up at Clark. "I just wanted to see what kissing a prince would taste like."

Clark's eyes widened and his face paled. "A_ prince? _What do you mean?"

"Come on now, you know exactly what I mean. You're Kal-El, Crown Prince of Alemannia and Duke of Borussia." She eyed his uniform coat. "Wearing your own colors was risky, though you _are_ entitled to a lot more brocade on your coat and a higher insignia of rank."

Deciding that he'd better take Harry's advice, Clark closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and when he opened them again, was back to his Kal-El persona. More arrogant, more commanding, stronger. Even though his size hadn't changed, he seemed to take up more space. Chloe seemed to notice, as she took a step back before he spoke.

"I am Kal-El. How did you know?"

"I didn't until after the dance started. During the meal, I was content to think of taking you into my bed for a night or two. But not now, not with you being…_you."_

Kal-El nearly choked, as he couldn't imagine a noblewoman taking such a risk, especially one who had the succession of her grand duchy to worry about. "You'd risk becoming pregnant with a bastard just to have some fun? Someone in your position?"

"Quit the sermonizing, it's not becoming." Chloe waved Kal-El off. "A pregnancy is no risk, not for me anyway. We have a Kryptonian or two here in the palace. One has a spell that prevents pregnancy…a birth control spell, if you will. Once I get married and have to come up with as many heirs as possible, the spell will be removed and I will be stuck with one lover for the rest of my life.

"Oh, and as for how I knew who you were, Harold told me a lot about you after he returned from his year in Alemannia. One thing that stood out was that he had gotten along with you quite well, even to the point of earning a nickname, a name of which only _you_ made use. Back in the reception line, I heard you call him 'Harry.' I should have recognized the name instantly, but was too scatterbrained from having to deal with so many people at once."

"My mistake then." Kal-El grimaced. "I guess I'll have to stop calling him Harry. Plain old Harold will have to do." He slapped himself on the thigh in irritation. "Damn, that was a stupid thing to do."

"Mmmm…yeah, you could have done better."

After an uncomfortable silence, Kal-El asked, "So…what do we do now?"

Chloe gestured toward a comfortable looking stuffed chair, as she sat in one of her own. Kal-El waited for her to sit before sitting himself. He then waited quietly, under an intense look from Chloe, who tapped one arm of her chair with her manicured nails for quite a while before finally speaking.

"Not going to beg me to keep your secret, huh?"

"What's the point? Either you will or you won't. You don't know me well enough to want to do a favor for me, and it's not important enough to me for me to leave here owing you anything."

"Ooh, I _like_ a strong man." Chloe studied Clark some more. "You're not too keen on the idea of marrying me, are you?"

"Not really," Clark admitted. "If half of what Harry, excuse me, _Harold,_ says about you is true, then you'd be a good queen…"

"Same here. You'd be a pretty good Prince Consort here in Krakovia."

"…but the discussions over where we'd live, and how we'd integrate our laws would be tough, with some of them maybe never getting resolved."

"Until our child takes the throne," Chloe said. "Then she'd have to make the decisions about all of that."

"_He,"_ Clark said, "definitely a he."

Chloe shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe your father's kingdom still has that idiotic law on the books."

"What can I say? If we keep going the way we are, we waste the talents of half of our nobility, but if we switch to your way of succession, there'd be a revolution. Blood in the streets."

"You already _have_ a revolution, Kal-El."

"Nah. What's going on now is nothing, absolutely _nothing,_ compared to what would happen in Alemannia if my father announced that from this day forth, the oldest _child_ inherits all lands and titles upon the death of the current title holder.

"Older sisters would be murdered by younger brothers who had been counting on being the next Baron, Count, Duke, etcetera. Older sisters might find champions who would murder younger brothers to protect them from having their new positions usurped. And who knows how many lords would gather their military might and march on the capital to demand a rollback of that decree? Not I."

"So, Harold was right. It's not just an outmoded tradition in your kingdom, women actually aren't accorded the same level of respect as men."

"No, they aren't. A woman has to earn what virtually any man of rank gets just for being a man." Clark shrugged his shoulders. "I assume that comes from men being the ones who fight and die on the battlefield."

"Yet women fight their battles in the birthing beds. How many women die on _those_ battlefields in the struggle to give their lords one more child?"

"Exactly." Clark's face was stony as he faced up to one of his society's greatest failings. "And yet the troubadours write great songs about the men who try their hardest to kill each other, while the women who do naught but attempt to bring life, die unknown and unwept by any except those closest to them.

"We are not, I think, a loveable people," Kal-El mused. "Changing opinions will take a mighty example. I wonder that _any_ woman would agree to marry me and take on the challenge."

"Not me, Kal-El. Not unless my parents require it. I think only an Alemanni woman would be up to the task, since she's already stuck in your system."

"I think I have just the woman in mind. But what can she possibly do to change the minds of so many hidebound traditionalists?"


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

A Moment Like This

Prince Kal-El and Princess Chloe split, with both agreeing to keep his identity away from her parents since they didn't want Grand Duke Charles and Grand Duchess Sophia to get any ideas and start pairing them, just to see how well they looked together. Both shuddered at the thought as Chloe thought she had more than enough to look forward to when it was her turn to rule Krakovia, without adding the political headache of trying to prove to the Alemanni nobility that women were equal to men in most respects. And as for Kal-El, he didn't want anything happening that might make a marriage with Lana more difficult to obtain.

Kal-El was halfway out the door, when he thought of something he wanted. "Would you do something simple for me, Chloe?"

"Sure." She smiled slightly, and teased, "The man who bought me that huge necklace has a favor or two coming, don't you think?"

"I didn't buy you that necklace for favors."

"I know you didn't…which is why I'm doing the favor for you." Chloe stepped back to a small side table and poured herself a stiff drink. "What would you like me to do?"

"The young woman I escorted here tonight, Lady Alicia, is only fourteen and this is her very first social engagement. She's a good kid and has been looking forward to this night her whole life. If you would just pay her some special attention, it would make her night a complete success."

Chloe nodded her head thoughtfully. "I remember being that age. True, I had no worries about making the right connections, but it was the excitement of finally entering the wider world of adults that got me so excited. Beautiful dresses, splendid uniforms, dancing, music…_everything. _Yes, I'll be happy to help make Lady Alicia's day."

Kal went back to playing the role of Clark of Kent, bowed low to the princess, and thanked her.

"What are _you_ getting out of my kindness?" Chloe asked. The question was shrewd, which was to be expected of the Krakovian heir to the throne.

Clark smiled as he straightened up. "Just a dance or two…with this woman I have in mind."

Chloe instantly caught Clark's not-so-veiled reference to his statement that he had 'just the woman in mind.'

"She's _here?_ Tonight? Oh, I have to meet _this_ woman. After all, if you get your wish, she could become an important connection for Krakovia." Chloe's tone of voice clearly told Clark she wasn't really interested in making a connection. She just wanted to see the woman Clark intended to marry.

"You've already met her, Chloe."

"Really? Who is she?"

"She's Harry's escort for the evening, and also my intended, the Lady Lana Elizabeth Lang."

"Oh wow!" Chloe quirked an eyebrow at Clark. "Does Harold know?"

"Yeah. I told Harry that 'getting friendly' with Lana was not the healthiest thing he could do."

"You didn't actually threaten to hurt my brother did you?"

"No, I promised to kill him." Clark shrugged one shoulder. "You know Harry. He wouldn't have taken me seriously otherwise."

"Now I see why you two get along so well. You have the same rough sense of humor."

_I wasn't kidding, _Clark thought, _but that's something I probably ought to keep to myself._

Clark followed Chloe out of the room and closed the door behind them. Once back in the ballroom, he waited while Chloe summoned a servant with instructions to find Lady Alicia. That task became much easier when Clark told them Harry was with Alicia and then he used his hearing to locate the heartbeats of Lana and Alicia so he could provide the servant with a rough estimate of where they were.

Chloe followed the servant at a distance, and Clark followed her. When Harry finally came into sight, the servant had just reached him. Both girls Harry was with were easily visible then, with Chloe taking a second look at Lana before shifting her gaze to Alicia. "Lovely women," Chloe breathed. "Both of them."

"True." Thinking how that was true of all the Lang women, Clark said, "Their sister is around here somewhere, and I promised Harry…I mean, _Harold,_ that I'd introduce him to her escort sometime."

The servant was bringing Harry, Lana, and Alicia closer. Chloe was watching them, mostly out of idle curiosity, at the moment when both girls realized they were headed toward Clark. She could see both young women smile more widely, even as they drew in identical deep breaths and straightened their backs.

That was all Chloe needed to see. She wasn't close to Clark; she couldn't even claim to be friends with him yet, but he seemed to be a nice guy, and if things worked out for him, he was going to be the ruler of her largest and most powerful neighbor sometime in the future, so she thought she ought to do him another favor.

"Ka…lark?" Like her brother earlier, Chloe caught herself just in time.

"Hmm?" he answered absentmindedly, as he watched Lana seem to float her way through the crowd.

"Look at me." He did, albeit reluctantly. "You have a problem."

"I have many. What new one do you have to add to the list?"

"Lady Lana isn't the only Lang woman who seems to have her heart set on you."

"Lois doesn't li…oh. Alicia?" Chloe nodded firmly. "How do you know?"

"It's easy to see when you know what you're looking for, and as a woman, I know."

Clark shifted his view from Lana to Alicia, but couldn't manage to see what she was seeing. "I'll take your word for it Chloe, thanks." His eyes went back to Lana, and his smile grew incrementally wider with each step she took. Clark stayed back though to give Chloe time to separate Alicia from Lana.

"Harold!" Chloe said. Her voice was as bright as her hair, making Harry wonder what in the world was going on.

"Hi, Chloe, what's up?"

"Sir Clark here has told me that his escort, Lady Alicia I believe, is enjoying her first ball this evening."

Harry deferred to Alicia so she could answer for herself. She quickly dipped a low curtsy, and then said, "That is correct, your Highness. Both that it's my first ball, and that I'm enjoying it immensely."

Chloe enjoyed Alicia's youthful enthusiasm. She gestured her forward and looped her arm through Alicia's once she came within reach. Without even looking back, Chloe said, "Come along, Harold," and then turned her attention back to Alicia. "I can well remember _my_ first ball, and once Sir Clark told me this was your first, I became quite determined to make yours the success mine was. So, I intend to introduce you all around."

Alicia's eyes sparked with excitement as she and Chloe moved around the periphery of the room, with Harry trailing along behind. Chloe worked the crowd with the political instincts of a born politician, making sure everyone got a chance to meet the girl by her side. It wasn't lost on Alicia that being introduced in this manner gave an implied recommendation of her to everyone they met. She could confidently expect social calls from a number of these people, and might even get some invitations to visit in return. This was the breakthrough her family had been looking for. She was so happy to have been the one to make it, and reminded herself to thank Clark later for making it possible.

Clark and Lana stood side by side and watched as Chloe, Alicia, and Harry left, and then Clark turned to Lana, who looked up at him with shining eyes. The previous dance had just ended, and Clark wanted to claim a spot on the floor quickly, so he dove right in.

"May I have this dance, my Lady?" Clark asked. His question was formal, but his eyes danced with merriment as he spoke.

Lana responded warmly, with a burbling laugh. "Why yes, kind Sir, you may."

Clark had offered Lana his arm as he made his request. She gladly curled her hand around his arm when she accepted, and arm-in-arm, they headed for an open space on the parquet dance floor.

As they lined up across from each other, with Lana in her silver-accented blue dress and Clark in his green and gold coat, white knee breeches, and black boots, it was plain to anyone who chose to look that they were a spectacularly handsome couple. But anyone who stopped and looked more closely noticed something more. As the music started and the dance began, Clark and Lana moved as one. Sure, part of that was due to their four-hour-long daily practices, but there was a fluidity, an _ease _to their movements, as if each was perfectly comfortable with the other, that extended well beyond the results of practicing.

Chloe did both. She happened to catch a glimpse of Clark and Lana just as the music started, and smiled to see how perfect they looked together, but when she saw them a minute later, after the dance had started, she came to a stop and watched them, partially for herself, but also partially for the young woman at her side.

Chloe was already taking a liking to Alicia, but she knew the girl needed to learn the truth about Clark's interest in Lana. Even from this distance, Chloe could see the love those two shared. Their love was so palpable, that Chloe swore she could almost _feel_ it. _Surely even a lovestruck girl like Alicia will see it and understand she doesn't have a chance._

Chloe chanced a glance at the brown-eyed blonde at her side and saw someone who was trying mightily to hold back tears. Chloe pretended she hadn't seen a thing and kept her attention on Clark and Lana. _Someday I want to be loved like that, _Chloe thought. _I want some man to need me, and not my title, so completely that all else is secondary to him spending one more moment with me._

The dance had started, for Clark and Lana anyway, at the proper distance, with several inches in between their bodies, but by the halfway point, their bodies had molded together and the side of Lana's face was pressed into Clark's chest, as they took full advantage of the little time afforded them to be together.

Chloe sighed in appreciation of the sight before her, while Alicia continued her fight to keep from crying. She sniffled a few times, and when Chloe took another peek, a lone tear was crawling down her cheek. Figuring Alicia had suffered enough, Chloe took her by the arm and turned her away from the painful sight before her.

Lana and Clark were oblivious to the little side drama going on with Alicia; all they had time for was each other. Lana had been having fun most of the night so far, but nothing compared to this moment, and to this man. So big, so powerful, and yet so smooth in his movements, and so gentle a touch as he held her. Lana was in awe that he was hers and hers alone. While the possibility that he might be forced to marry someone else lurked in the back of her consciousness, she was thrilled beyond words over what she had here and now.

Lana at least vaguely acknowledged the threat to her happiness posed by Clark's far off parents, Clark himself wasn't allowing thoughts like that to even enter his mind. To him, he was dancing with his bride, his duchess, his _princess, _and all was right with the world.

Some people took notice of the young couple and the elegance they demonstrated as they glided across the dance floor. Others noticed that Prince Harold's lovely escort was being swept off her feet by someone other than the prince. Everyone who saw them, however, recognized they belonged together.

"I'm not supposed to be _this_ happy, am I Clark?" Lana asked. She was almost giddy with joy at how things were turning out this evening.

"This happy and more," Clark replied archly. "My bride-to-be deserves nothing less." He wiggled his eyebrows when Lana looked up at him, and she collapsed back against his chest in a fit of giggles. Clark calmed down and spoke in all earnestness. "At least, making you happy is my highest goal as a man."

"Then you're succeeding, Clark, beyond your wildest dreams."

Not content with just one dance, Clark and Lana spent the next dance together as well, before Clark took his love by the hand and led her out onto the wide terrace just outside the room and down into the garden. As soon as they stepped into the thick grass pathways of the garden, Lana kicked off her shoes, and Clark stooped to collect them for her.

"Ooooooh, that feels nice!" Lana enthused. Just being barefoot was making her feet feel great, after hours in her tight, confining shoes.

The weather outside was perfect for a nighttime stroll, as the heat of the day had long since dissipated and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The stars twinkled in the darkness, reminding Clark of the way Lana's dress sparkled as she moved. Given the way he was feeling, Clark was fairly sure _everything_ would remind him of Lana one way or another.

Looking about, they could see a tall hedge maze in one direction and a sharply-trimmed parterre garden in another, but Clark led Lana in another direction, toward a series of low, neat rows of plants. When they moved in close, both of them could smell the various aromas that clearly marked this as an herb garden.

"It's a beautiful night," Lana said, as she craned her neck a bit to take in the stars above.

Clark's eyes had been locked on the beauty of her face from the moment they stopped moving, and yet, he couldn't agree more with what she had just said. "Yeah…beautiful."

There was a dreamy quality to Clark's voice that made Lana look at him, and when she saw how he was staring at her, she understood his meaning, dipped her head and blushed.

Disturbed that Lana would ever feel embarrassed that he found her to be beautiful, he placed one hand under her chin and raised her eyes back up to his. Keeping his finger just under the tip of her chin, Clark said, "You don't ever have to be embarrassed that I find you beautiful. It's just another mark of my love." Clark's face began to lower toward Lana's. "Be proud of it." It moved in closer. "Revel in it." Closer still. "_Enjoy_ it," he whispered, just before he pressed his lips against hers.

Soft as baby's breath, exhilarating as an ice bath, and hot as the sun, the kiss seemed to go on and on. Neither Clark nor Lana wanted it to stop, in fact, they weren't _able_ to stop it until Lana ran out of breath.

She collapsed against Clark's chest, and played with one of the gilt buttons on his coat as she gulped in air with one shuddering breath after another, Lana couldn't think. Clark had consumed every corner of her mind, just as he'd already taken over her heart, and the whole of her being was focused on him.

Clark had dropped the shoes and was holding Lana close to him as he rocked back and forth ever so slightly to the sounds of the distant ballroom. As with her, his mind was filled to overflowing with the sights, sounds, and scents of the woman in his arms. For this one moment, nothing existed for him but her. She was his beginning and his end, and he held her that much closer in a vain attempt at making the moment last forever.

Their reverie was rudely interrupted by the nearby sound of a drunken partier emptying his stomach into an ornamental bush.

"Come on, Lana," Clark said, with great reluctance, "let's get back inside before you are missed."

"Do I _have_ to go?" Lana pouted.

"No, you don't," Clark said, as he turned her in his arms so they were both facing the terrace and the open doors beyond. "I will never make you do something you don't want to, but you _are _the official escort of the prince. And though he knows about us and our connection…"

Lana reluctantly finished Clark's thought. "…he _does _have a right to expect me to be by his side for most of the night."

"Yeah." Clark gave Lana one good, tight squeeze. "Letting you go, even for the rest of the night, does hurt a bit…but I'll get you back in the morning."

"Mmm…I can't wait."

"Too bad. If I have to wait, so do you." Clark released Lana from his arms and stepped around her to take her by the hand, as she stepped into her shoes. "Come on, Beloved, let's go."

"Okay. Wherever you lead, I will follow."


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The Irretrievable Word

Clark and Lana were crossing the terrace, and almost to the brightly lit doors that led inside, when she wondered where Lois and Bruce were. Being eager to please, Clark tapped into his abilities and listened for Bruce's heartbeat, one he'd come to know very well since they'd left the summer palace. He was surprised to discover Bruce was outside in the garden, somewhere off to their right. More surprising was learning Bruce's heart was racing, something the very fit Sir Bruce only had happen when he was really exerting himself physically.

Suddenly concerned, Clark motioned Lana back to the relative safety of the open doorway and started to draw his sword. "Stay here, Lana. Something's going on with Bruce. I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't alert the palace guards though, it may be nothing."

Lana barely had time to blink before Clark was gone. _I wonder if a person ever really gets used to that. _It was the second time she'd seen him draw a sword and go off with the intent of using it. The first time, she'd been frightened he was going to die. This time, she felt much better knowing about his near invincibility, but there was still a lump that formed in her throat from seeing him throw himself in harm's way. "Be safe!" she whispered.

Lana stood at the door, anxiously searching left and right, with one part of her desperate to run and tell the palace guard, not because something dangerous was out there, but because Clark was out there looking for something dangerous. The other half of her, though, chose to honor his request to wait, because while she was nervous, she knew he could handle himself with a blade.

It seemed to Lana like the wait took hours, when in reality, it took only seconds before Clark was back at her side with his sword sheathed and a brilliant crimson flush all across his face.

"What happened?" Lana asked.

Clark took Lana's hand and pointed her toward the door, but couldn't seem to look her in the eye. She knew something had gone on and that Clark was seriously embarrassed by whatever it had been.

"Come on, Clark," Lana chided, "you can tell me."

"I, uh…" Clark stuck the first finger of his free hand under his suddenly tight coat collar and tried to loosen it. "Please, Lana, let it go. Nothing…nothing _important_ happened."

Lana reached over with her free arm and patted Clark lightly on his hand. "If it's not important, then you won't have any trouble telling me about it…or are you lying to me and it _was_ important after all?"

Clark let out his breath in an explosive rush and gave Lana an irritated look, only to find her looking back at him expectantly with those big eyes of hers. _Shit! _"Okay. Promise me you won't tell this to a soul. Not to _anyone."_

"I promise."

Clark quickly dragged Lana into a secluded corner. If people wanted to think they were making out, that would be just fine by him, as long as they stayed away. "I ran out there, sword drawn and fearing the worst, because I could hear Bruce's heart racing. I thought he was being attacked…it turns out he was, only not by sword-wielding ruffians, but by a lip-wielding Lois Lang."

Lana was so surprised that she snorted as she started to laugh. Once she got her fit of giggles under control, she asked, "Lois and Bruce? _Kissing?_ No way! That is _not_ happening."

"Go out and look for yourself. They're sitting on a wrought iron bench by what looks to be the exit of the hedge maze. Their clothes are still on, thank God, but they both looked like they had been wrestling in the grass or something."

Lana wondered if Lois was truly interested in Bruce, or if she was just having some _mostly_ innocent fun. She'd been caught kissing boys a few times back home, but nothing had ever come of it. "You're serious." A quick nod yes. "Wow." Some more thought. "I guess we just have to pretend you didn't see anything, for the time being."

"And how." Clark pressed his forehead lightly against Lana's. "At least you don't have to ride home with those two. I'm gonna be sitting there, trying not to give anything away, and then Alicia's going to notice a grass stain or something and I'm going to die laughing."

"Poor baby." Lana took Clark's hand and led him back toward everyone else. She knew she had the responsibility to take her place at Harry's side for the rest of the night, so it was time to find him and for Clark to find Alicia.

A bit of looking through the people standing around and talking found neither Harry, Alicia, nor Chloe. Lana finally turned to Clark and asked, "Could you _look_ for them please?"

Clark assumed she meant use his abilities, so he used his hearing to locate Harry and then Alicia, and was somewhat surprised to find them in the same location. Using his x-ray vision to see through the intervening people, he spotted Harry and Alicia gliding across the dance floor with twin smiles of delight on their faces.

Clark nudged Lana, and said, "You may not believe this, but Harry and Alicia are dancing together, and they seem to be enjoying it immensely."

"_Really?" _Lana breathed. "This I have to see."

Clark and Lana slithered through the crowd on their way to the other end of the Grand Ballroom. The crowd had thinned out somewhat by now, as some had gone home early, and some were outside enjoying the gardens, the weather, or each other.

When they drew close enough to where Alicia and Harry were dancing, Clark gestured and Lana looked on eagerly. "This is just what Alicia's always wanted," Lana said. "I'm so happy for her."

"What? Dancing with Harold?"

"No, dancing with a prince, in his own palace, and looking like she belongs. Our father's somewhat remote barony has always kept us from this kind of life, and Alicia thought we'd never get to experience it."

"Wait until you come to Königsberg after the revolution is over."

"Hmm? You mean the fabled winter palace?"

"Oh yes. It's…" Clark wasn't sure quite how to describe the palace. There were some things he couldn't mention without giving himself away, and others that defied description if you hadn't already seen them. "It's something else. But exactly what it is, you'll have to decide for yourself. I don't want to go overboard and then have you be disappointed once you see it for yourself."

"I'd like that, but I don't know if father will consent to make that long trip."

"Oh…I think I can guarantee he will. And once you are there, it would be my privilege if you would allow me to have the first two dances on your dance card for the first ball you attend."

"I'm yours for as many dances as you wish," Lana said simply. "I hope by then you will have convinced your parents to allow us to marry."

Thinking of how difficult that could end up being, Clark was quiet and said, "I hope so, too."

When the dance ended, Lana and Clark hurried out onto the floor to meet Alicia and Harry, who were chatting animatedly as they walked off.

"Hi, Sis," Lana said. Her excitement was evident to everyone, and Alicia returned it full force until she saw Clark. That made her face fall just a little bit, and it also got her to squeeze Harry's arm just a little tighter, and somewhat possessively.

"Hi, Lana," Alicia replied.

Clark stood right behind Lana, moping ever so slightly as he prepared to switch dancing partners. It wasn't that he had anything against Alicia, the girl was lovely, sweet, and smart, but she just wasn't Lana.

"I see you two have been enjoying yourselves on the dance floor," Clark said to Harry.

"Yes," Harry said. "I found you had run off with my escort, and turned to Alicia to save me from being without a partner in my own palace. She has been a most excellent companion."

At first, Clark had thought Harry was just being nice and helping him out so he could have some time alone with Lana, but the look Harry gave his new escort seemed genuine. _Maybe he really did enjoy being with her. Who woulda thought it?_

"So, Harold," Harry was surprised to hear Clark call him that, "do you want to reclaim your official partner?"

Harry looked at Lana, who seemed to be quite comfortable with Clark, and then looked down at the hopeful eyes of the young woman on his arm. Realizing she might be tired of coming in second tonight, Harry smiled just for her and then told Clark, without his eyes ever leaving Alicia's, "No, I think I have the right woman."

Chloe _had _pulled him aside for a second or two earlier and filled him in on Alicia's attachment to Clark before asking him to dance with Alicia to help ease her disappointment, but once he'd gotten the youngest Lang on the dance floor, he'd found her height a better match for his own, and had been pleased to find a bright but respectful conversationalist in such a young woman. He truly had enjoyed his time with Alicia more than he had his time with Lana, so choosing her was not a sacrifice in his eyes by any means. The fact that his choice pleased both Clark and Lana was nothing more than a secondary consideration.

"Just make sure she gets home safely, Harold." Clark eyed his friend closely. "The same rules that applied to Lana apply to Alicia." That was as close as Clark could come to saying 'no funny business' with Alicia. While Clark was passing his message to Harry, the two Lang girls hugged warmly before reclaiming their men and walking away.

Lana and Clark got in another pair of dances before they saw Bruce and Lois come in the same terrace doors they themselves had used earlier. Lana started snickering first when she saw an inordinately pleased look on Lois' face, and Clark joined in when he saw a dazed looking Bruce right behind her.

Neither one trusted themselves enough to go talk to Lois and Bruce without laughing out loud, so they watched from afar as the two ambled over to the refreshments and both collected a large goblet of icy punch.

By the time Lana and Lois were ready to go home, both women were footsore but blissfully happy. In the carriage, with their heavy escort around the them in the slightly chill autumn air, Bruce looked across at Clark, and said, "It looks like you picked up a new escort."

"Harold and I found out our ladies were better off, and we were better off, if we switched. So Lana's coming home with me, and I saw Harold leave the palace with Alicia not too long ago." Deciding he could afford to tease Bruce, as long as he carefully avoided mentioning Lois, Clark said, "I may have a new escort, but you seem to have collected a new set of grass stains on your uniform, Bruce. Good thing it's mostly green."

Bruce was embarrassed, and so was Lois, but since the question was directed at Bruce, he knew he had to come up with an excuse that protected her. He also suspected Clark knew more than he was letting on.

"Well, ummmmmm…I, uh, I tripped on a set of stone steps in the gardens and fell on the grass. It was dark outside, so I didn't recognize the stain until you mentioned it just now." Bruce then made a big show of examining the stain, with Lois promising she'd get the household staff right on that first thing in the morning. Lana's eyes and mouth opened involuntarily when she saw her sister being solicitous over a man's well-being like this.

Still, the mention of the uniforms Clark and Bruce were both wearing triggered something inside of Lana. She'd wondered earlier what military unit they could be from and had thought to ask Lois, but now that the night was almost over, she thought she'd just go ahead and ask Clark.

"Clark?"

"Hmm?"

"I know my father's army wears purple and gold, and the royal family wears white and gold…but what Alemanni army wears green and gold?"

"The Duke of Borussia's army. Crown Prince Kal-El's own."

"And you two men are both officers in that army?"

For some vague reason, Clark didn't like where this line of questioning was headed, but he couldn't decide why.

"Yes…Bruce is a major and, now that I'm finally an adult, I'm a lieutenant. We're both here on half pay." Clark _hated_ telling this lie to Lana, but it was part and parcel of his disguise.

Lana fell silent, and as Bruce and Lois fell into a quiet conversation, Clark studied his love as she balled her hands into fists, stared at her toes, and stewed over what she'd just learned.

"Oh, Clark," Bruce said.

"Yes?"

"Lois introduced me to Prince Harold near the end of the night. We didn't have much time to talk, so he said he wanted to come over tomorrow and meet me properly."

"Oooookay. Did he ask for me to be there or something?"

"Nope. I was just hoping you'd take over some of my swordsmanship classes tomorrow in case the prince is a talker."

"Sure…and by the way, Harold _is_ a talker, but with you, he'll mostly want to listen. I think he's more interested in the Dark Knight than he is in Bruce Wayne."

"Great! Another clown who either thinks I'm a hero or the prince of darkness, depending on what version of my story he heard."

"And which do you think you were?" Clark asked judiciously.

"Neither. I was stuck in the middle somewhere. Just a brash young knight who did as he was told."

Lana hadn't listened to Bruce, not at all, because she was still chewing on what she'd heard from Clark. And despite the love she had for him, she'd come to one incredibly painful conclusion: the man she loved was an out-and-out coward who had abandoned his army, and his leader, when he was needed most.

"You two are both cowards," Lana said. Her words were so quiet that no one heard her clearly the first time she spoke, but the word 'coward' rang out as clear as a bell and shut everyone up but Lana.

She spoke a little more loudly this time. "You two are _both _cowards."


	37. Chapter 37

-1Chapter 37

A Matter of Honor

Clark and Bruce looked hard at each other, as if not quite believing what they were hearing, before turning to her as one and joining Lois in the jaw-dropping, 'are you out of your mind?' staring competition. What they saw was Lana's face knotted with anger.

"Thousands of your fellow soldiers are fighting and dying to defend the royal family, and yet you two are here hundreds of miles away, wearing handsome dress uniforms, and dancing at a ball." Lana shook her head as if she couldn't possibly believe what was happening and wanted to wake up. "Cowards, absolute _cowards!"_

Bruce was beginning to get angry, but quickly realized this wasn't his place to talk. Now that Clark was an adult, he was the social superior, the one who was taking the greatest insult, and thus the one who would determine their course of action. Right now, however, Clark looked to be poleaxed by Lana's sudden assault and didn't appear to be capable of _speaking,_ much less of taking action.

"I _love_ you, Clark, but I can't spend another minute with you, not after this." Lana's expression had changed from anger to extreme distress. Lois thought her sister was about to start crying. "I thought you were everything a woman could _hope_ to want, but a coward is someone no woman wants."

"But I jumped out into a small battle just to save you," Clark said. "Doesn't that mean_ anything?"_

"It should, Clark, but how many of your men might be alive today if you and your talents were where they _should_ be? How many have died because you two chose to hide like spineless cowards? How can the king stay on his throne, when those who are true won't defend him?"

Clark knew he was here by his father's order. He knew he was doing what the king wanted, but Lana didn't know that, and if Lana didn't know it, it just didn't matter. Clark was beyond stunned. What he was hearing from Lana sort of made sense in the back of his mind, _because_ she didn't know everything, but to hear the love of his life call him this most hurtful of words, and to do it over and over, was crushing his spirit, and moving his thoughts to a place where his basest instincts ruled.

Clark quit listening, quit thinking, and moved to the far corner of the carriage. His posture was as straight and stiff as a sword, and just as inviting too. Lana was equally as rigid on her side of the bench, and neither Lois nor Bruce was saying anything for fear of breaking the brittle peace in the carriage.

When the carriage pulled to a stop in front of the Lang manor house, Lana was out the door as soon as the steps were in place and a footman had his hand up. Clark waited with extreme impatience for Lois to alight from the carriage, and then he hopped down and bolted for the ten men of his bodyguard.

Knowing how angry at Lana he himself was, Bruce was running after Clark to keep him from doing anything stupid…or at least aggressively so. Clark found the man in charge and was giving orders by the time Bruce caught up.

"Have your men ready to leave after breakfast tomorrow morning. We'll ride in reasonable stages, but Sir Bruce and I have to spend some time tonight with Lord Lang and his maps to pick the best route."

"We're _leaving?"_ Bruce asked. "What the Hell happened to hiding here? You know, your father's _order?"_

"His order no longer matters. There have been no rumors and no sightings of him or my mother since the revolution began."

"That doesn't mean they're dead."

"No, but it does mean they aren't out there leading their people, providing inspiration and direction to those who would follow. If Father isn't out there, then I _must_ be. Someone has to stand up and oppose Zod, or he wins by default."

Bruce put his hand on Clark's shoulder and used it to whip him around.

"Remove…your…hand," Clark said, "or lose it." His voice was thick with frost, not the burning anger he usually sported, and Bruce had no doubt Clark was crazy enough to do it. Bruce's hand flew off of Clark's shoulder, and the hidden prince turned back to his bodyguard and went back to work. "Make sure you have rations for two weeks at least. We'll buy more on the road."

Clark marched into the manor house and listened to see where Lord Lang was located. As he suspected, the Lord of the manor was in his library, talking to Lois and Alicia. It appeared Lana had gone on to bed, at least she wasn't in the public areas of the house, so he headed to the kitchen to see if there was anything left from the evening meal.

Finding nothing, Clark paced impatiently in the dining hall as he waited for the girls to finish talking about their nights. Once he saw the women leave, and Lord Lang follow behind them, Clark zipped through the house and stopped right behind the older man.

"Lord Lang."

"Yes, Sir Clark?" Lewis half turned toward Clark, wondering what he had done that had sent Lana running to her room, crying all the way. "I require your presence in your library, _now,_ with all your best maps of Alemannia and Krakovia. You may want to order up a large pot of coffee for yourself and Sir Bruce, for we have much to do and likely will be up most of the night."

Clark's mind was not working correctly, or else he would not have given such blunt, direct orders to a man who was _supposed_ to be his superior, but all that mattered to him now was Lana's charge of cowardice and his overriding need to cleanse the stain from his honor.

Lois and Alicia were both standing there in the hallway, mouths agape, as they listened to the newly-minted knight run his mouth off at their father. What got them going even more was that their father barely hesitated before doing as he was told. Clark headed to the library just as Bruce came running up, and Lewis found a member of the night staff so he could order a large pitcher of the strongest coffee in the kitchen. The girls just stood there looking at each other and then looking at the receding Clark, until their father finally sent them to their rooms.

"Do you _believe_ that shit?" Lois asked.

"Who _is_ he?" Alicia countered.

"I oughta kick his ass." Lois nodded her head, as if her suggestion was most reasonable.

"Where are you going to get the Kryptonite?"

"Umm…no clue." Shot down, Lois headed for bed, but not before passing by Lana's room and hearing the sniffles coming from inside. She wondered if she should try to explain to Lana about the half pay system and that Bruce and Clark's positions with the army were covered by other officers. She didn't think that was a nicety Lana would consider to be relevant to her objection.

Alicia had already turned into her room, and didn't hear Lana's sniffles at all. She didn't know what had caused Lana's emotions because Lois had kept that part of the night to herself, figuring Lana would say what she wanted Father to know in the morning.

The rest of the night was spent in making plans, once Clark sealed off the library from eavesdroppers with a dome of silence and a physical shield across each entrance to the room. They then thought about Clark flying home, but decided against it, as the place he was headed first could have random placements of Kryptonite to guard it, and in any case, he'd need Bruce there beside him to provide some necessary support.

So, the three men evaluated the terrain, the likely political situation in Alemannia, which border crossing would be safest for a man who was wanted, and his destination, before coming up with the optimal route for Clark, Bruce, and Clark's bodyguard to follow.

Once the route was mapped out, Lord Lang wrote out an account of the events leading to Clark's knighthood and then sealed the document with purple sealing wax and his signet ring. The document was then placed between two sheets of waxed paper and then in an oilskin pouch to protect it. This document was Clark's proof, along with Bruce's testimony, that he was an adult under the laws of Alemannia event though he was not yet twenty. This would be essential once they reached Borussia.

While Lord Lang was writing out that document, Clark was writing out one of his own. It was for the Fuggieri bankers, and signed by him and sealed with his royal signet. It gave Lord Lang explicit permission to use Kal-El's bank plate to make purchases in his name.

Once Clark handed the document, and the bank plate, over to Lord Lang, Clark explained that what he needed was for Lord Lang to begin purchasing supplies for a large army, enough supplies to last an Alemanni winter. Since fall was already upon them, with no word of a major battle between the two sides, Clark wanted Lord Lang to buy food, fuel for fires, warm blankets and tents, extra clothes, and plenty of medicines, as he thought it possible the loyalist army might end up largely intact, but cut off from a friendly supply base.

After Clark made contact with the main loyalist army, he'd send word as to when and where the supplies would be needed, a few weeks ahead of time, so the wagons could get started and the supplies would be waiting.

Lewis began thinking of the warehouses he'd need to build on his estate and the wagons he'd need to buy. He made sure Clark knew he'd have to send a rough estimate of the size of his combined army as soon as possible. That way, Lewis would have a better idea of how much to buy. Still, he was somewhat unsure of how much he'd actually be able to buy with the money from Clark's account, until Clark told him there should be plenty of money since his account had somewhere around 1.5 million gold pieces in it at last report. Lewis had staggered to hear that amount and wanted to know how it was possible.

"Easy. My estates have been making roughly 50,000 golds a year forever. The profit from those estates have been going into a special Fuggieri account since the day my father took the throne, because he had to give up the duchy and its money to become king. That was four years before I was born. That money became mine once I was born, and it kept growing with each year's addition from my estates, and with the small interest rate the Fuggieri pay me to let them loan my money out to other people." Clark then borrowed a couple of saddlebags of gold and silver from Lord Lang's treasury to pay for the expenses of the twelve men and their fourteen horses as they tried to ride back home without getting caught.

The rest of the night was spent trying to decide where the king and queen were likely to be, and where the opposing armies were. The last thing Clark wanted was to stagger into Dru-Zod's men while trying to get home. Once they were done, Bruce tried to take a catnap and then joined Clark and his bodyguards for an early breakfast.

The twelve men were in the process of readying their horses for the trip, when the rest of the household began to eat. The three Lang women were surprised to see their father up and still wearing his clothes from the night before. Lana was looking around the dining hall, not sure whether she wanted Clark there or not. Her aching heart said yes, but her head screamed no.

Once they'd eaten, the girls were surprised once again when their father insisted they line up in front of the manor house to give Sir Bruce and Sir Clark a proper sendoff. So Lord Lang, his three daughters, and the senior members of the household staff waited out front, while the rest of the household staff went about their work.

The small troop of horsemen stopped when they saw their host, and then almost kept on going once Clark saw Lana. Giving in, albeit reluctantly, to his obligations to his host, Clark dismounted and motioned for Bruce to do so also. Clark led Bruce down the line, starting with Lewis and ending with the least senior of the senior servants. Lord Lang got a quick bow and a firm handshake, Lois got a crooked smile and a more formal bow as she curtsied, Lana got Clark's coldest, most formal bow, which she answered with her deepest curtsy. Alicia was next, and so on until the end of the line. Bruce's trip through the line was different, with he and Lois almost hugging before settling for a bow and curtsy, and he and Lana giving each other the shallowest, most hesitant of bows and curtsies.

Clark had taken his leave and was about to remount, when he remembered something, changed his mind one more time, and came back to speak with Lord Lang.

"My Lord," Clark said curtly, "may I have the honor of writing to your daughter, the Lady Lana?"

"Why of course, Sir Clark. I would be pleased. Very pleased."

Clark bowed again, and Lord Lang replied in kind. Down at her spot in line, Lana just smoldered. Clark walked down and stood right in front of her, so close that his manly scent filled her nostrils with its heady fragrance.

"Hello, Lana," Clark said soberly, almost bitterly.

Lana wanted nothing more than to talk with Clark, to make it all better, but she felt betrayed by what he had done just to be here. She felt her own honor was at stake in this matter and thus could not speak.

"You knew not what you spoke of, and yet you made a most serious accusation…an accusation that can only be disproved with blood, mine or someone else's."

Clark looked Lana in the eyes then, hoping for some sort of reply. "No response then? Very well. One way of another, Lana, you _will_ see me again, I promise. I will either win back your trust, your respect, and your love, or _I will die trying. _You will either see a hero or a corpse.

"I will write you, as I have time, to tell you how the war progresses, and how my heart progresses also. As the army will be on the move, you need not trouble yourself about writing me back. But as you have attainted me with the broad brush of cowardice," an almost instant hiss came from Alicia, and Lord Lang looked at his middle daughter like she'd lost her mind, "it's likely you wouldn't want to write me back anyway."

Lana realized something was wrong here. Clark wasn't acting like a man in the wrong, and she knew she didn't know everything about him, but what other explanation was there? It finally motivated her to speak.

"Clark, if there's something else going on here, something to do with the secrets you haven't told me yet, then tell me now. Please! I love you, but I _need_ an explanation."

"I'm not here to apologize, Lana, and I sure as Hell don't feel compelled to explain myself to you _now. _You and your sisters have been kept from learning any number of things about me for your safety, and my security. Those reasons still hold. I will not sacrifice you, or your sisters, just to make my life easier.

"As for your charge, coward is a word that _cannot_ be unsaid, my Lady. The only way to clear my name now is through deeds, not words." He smiled slightly, sadly, and added, "I do love you, Lana, and hope to prove my worth as a man to you, I just hope my eyes are open the next time we meet."

Clark turned on one heel and strode to his horse. Lana caught the meaning of Clark's last statement, and the idea that he might die, that this might be her last time to see him alive, broke her. As he mounted his horse, she was crying buckets of tears, wanting both to apologize for what just _had_ to be a horrible mistake on her part, and yet to hold on tightly to her honor and make him prove himself.

Still furious with Lana for her half-informed insult, Clark just managed to ignore her tears, which were twin to the unshed ones he harbored inside, and led his men out the gate, toward the war, and out of Lana's life.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

On the Road Again

When Clark had finally departed, Lana went straight to her room and cried. Upon waking up, she'd been sure Clark was hiding from his responsibilities, earning the name of 'coward,' and damaging her honor in the process. Now, she didn't know _what_ to believe. The evidence she _had_ made him look bad, but she knew there were things she didn't know, and Clark's actions before he left made her seriously doubt her accusation of cowardice.

Trying to gain some information that might allow her to make sense of what was going on, Lana cornered her father after lunch and pressured him to talk. Even though they were in the library, and no one was within hearing distance, Lewis wouldn't tell Lana what she wanted to know.

"Yes, Lana," Lord Lang said, "I do know who Sir Clark really is, and no, I cannot tell you. Be satisfied with the mess you have already made of things, and pray that your suitor comes through this little war unscathed."

Lois wasn't distraught, like Lana was, over Bruce's disappearance as their budding relationship hadn't progressed very far. In any case, she had always known he had little more than his skills and reputation as a knight to recommend him as a marriage prospect, so she hadn't gotten her hopes up too far, as she knew she _had_ to marry well to protect her younger sisters. She hoped some of the men she'd met at the ball would come calling soon, otherwise, her prospects would start looking grim.

Alicia suffered the least from the sudden departure of Clark and Bruce. Her greatest suffering had been at the Harvest Ball, and before she left there, her growing connection with the prince had eased the shock and hurt of Clark and Lana's strong ties.

True to their pre-ball wishes, the family was now being included in the social whirl of the Krakovian capital. When callers came to visit, Lois and Alicia threw themselves into their duties as hostesses, while Lana forced herself to it, nevertheless carrying off her duties with grace and aplomb.

Female callers were readily welcome and enjoyed by all, but when male callers came, Lana carefully deflected any interest shown to her, Lois found herself to be strangely disinterested though she tried her best, and Alicia was uniformly cheerful, even though she had eyes for only one man.

And that one man paid her a couple of private visits, enough to draw the notice of both her older sisters and of her father. All three warned her against getting her hopes up because Prince Harold was too great a prize for a daughter of a Baron to hope to catch. Lord Lang was having problems saying that.

All three of them feared what he _might_ be after, and kept a close watch over his visits.

The Lang women resumed their normal studies, now that the Harvest Ball was over, with Lord Lang finding and hiring a dancing instructor personally recommended by the grand duke's own instructor.

Other, smaller balls and similar entertainments came and went, and the Lang women went to them all, with the exception of any given by the Duke of Alfaro and his extended family. From that quarter there were no social calls and the Langs would not have accepted them had there been. The two families weren't in a state of war, but they were barely cordial to each other whenever they met. Only the presence of the grand duke had prevented any sort of unpleasantness at the Harvest Ball.

Besides her studies, Lana spent her time collecting any and all information she could on the revolution back home. Every merchant who stopped at their manor on the way into Varshova was grilled for any little detail. Any Alemanni visitor who earned a place at her father's table likewise found his or her brain sifted for any new piece of information.

Lana then took every rumor and so-called fact and put them together before trying to evaluate them to better decide which were likely true, which were possibly true, and which were almost certainly false.

Lord Lang watched with amazement and quiet pride as his middle daughter was becoming a self-taught intelligence officer right in front of his eyes. She made a few incorrect assumptions about Alemanni politics, which he stepped in and corrected, but for the most part, he thought she was doing fine.

And when Lana didn't have any visitors to hassle, she waited, seemingly in vain, for the first of Clark's promised letters. More than a month had gone by without word from him, when a merchant train stopped at the gate to the Lang manor. The merchant sold coal, which he had behind him in each of his twenty wagons, and he was headed for the capital to sell to people who were eager to be ready for the first cold snap of the season.

He told the gate guards he normally wouldn't have stopped at a manor house, but this day was different as he had a letter in his possession that he had been paid to deliver into the hand of Lady Lana Lang. One guard sprinted for the main house, and told the doorman, who stepped inside to tell a housemaid, which resulted in Lana scurrying out of the house a minute later, with her dress held up high enough to keep her from tripping.

The merchant had already been handsomely paid by Clark, but Lana was so excited that she readily doubled the man's pay from her own purse before snatching the letter from him and slowly walking back to the house.

Part of her wanted to rip open the letter on the spot, and devour its contents instantly. But the other part of her was a bit afraid after the way they'd parted. _What if he's found someone else? What if the anger remained and the love faded away? _Then came the worst thought, the one that drove her to seek out a private place to read: _What if this is a letter telling me he's dead?_

Lana wanted to take her horse and a picnic lunch and ride to a far corner of their estate so she could take all the time she needed to read over this letter, but reasoned someone might think she needed an escort, so she nixed that idea. She settled on going to the same interior courtyard where she and Clark had already shared so much.

Feeling her throat going dry, Lana asked a servant to bring her a pitcher of well-watered wine and a goblet. Once Lana had her refreshment at hand, she sat on the coping of the fountain, nervously turning the carefully folded paper over and over in her hands.

She examined the address, and admired the elegant script with which it had been written. Then she flipped the letter over and looked at the large blob of red sealing wax that was unmarred by any sort of identifying mark. _No signet ring. At least, none he's willing to let me, and anyone who might see this letter besides me, see._

Finally, Lana took a large, fortifying drink of the watered wine and then used her brass letter opener, which she had collected from her own room while the servants readied her wine, to slide under the wax seal and open the letter without damaging the paper.

She closed her eyes and uttered a brief prayer before flipping over the letter and beginning to read. The funny thing, had anyone been watching Lana at the time, was that she was only able to make herself read the beginning of the letter with one eye open and the other firmly shut.

Dearest Lana,

I love you.

Lana sighed and opened her second eye. _He still loves me._

I know it may not have seemed that way when last we spoke, but an ancient philosopher once said your heart cannot be stolen from you, nor can you choose to give it away, instead, your heart, all on its own, surrenders itself. My heart surrendered itself to you some time ago, so as long as you hold on to it, I'm yours. Since there's no way I can stop loving you, all I can do is endeavor to prove myself to you so we can be together again.

I love you.

I wonder if you love sunsets the way I do. Up here in the hills, I have a wonderful vantage point and just saw the most glorious sunset filled with golds, purples, and pinks. It was breathtaking, but not nearly as good as it would have been with you by my side to share it with.

I miss you more with each passing day, and look forward to the moment I see you again, with my name cleared and the shine returned to your eyes. I can't wait until the moment I can claim those first two dances with you at the first dance after the revolution. Everyone will be so jealous of me.

I love you.

And because I love you, I'm trying something new. In my education, poetry was never my thing, but Bruce recently introduced me to a poetry form he learned during his martial training in Cipango. It's called a Haiku, and I hope you will find it as charming and refined as I do.

Brilliant, beautiful

The most elegant Lana

Dearly beloved

Lana read over the short, three line poem and wondered at its simplicity and grace. Then she read it again and started to cry._ Clark isn't just saying he loves me, _she thought, _he's showing it._

I _do_ love you, Lana. If you believe nothing else I ever tell you, please believe that.

And now for some boring details.

We've been gone from you for two weeks as I write this and tomorrow we'll begin to ascend the mountain pass in front of us to re-enter Alemannia. The road has been mostly empty the past several days, and the men have been suffering the effects of the last heat of autumn. The road dust has been thick, especially after we left the stone-paved coast highway and took a dirt track into the hills three days ago.

It will be good to be on home soil once more, but that's when our danger begins to increase. Even though Bruce used to be in the Royal Mountaineers and claims to have many friends there, we have to try and avoid them, because we have no idea which one of them may be secretly working for Zod.

I'm writing this letter by firelight, and the flames have almost guttered out, so I'll close this brief missive with my wish to be remembered in your thoughts and prayers, as the road in front of us is fraught with danger.

Forever yours,

Clark

PS Bruce says to please tell Lois that she's in his thoughts, as you are in mine.

Lana's first act was to reread the letter in its entirety, _twice. _She savored each mention of his love for her, especially the short poem he called a Haiku, and only then did she realize it had been five weeks since he had left, so the letter had taken three weeks in making its way back to her. Thinking back to what she remembered of the geography of the areas involved, that meant he had to be deep inside Alemannia by now, either close to his goal, whatever it was, or stopped and being held prisoner somewhere.

_Please, God, let it not be the latter._

When Lana finally composed herself, folded up her tear-stained letter, and left the comfortable quiet of the courtyard, she found both of her sisters waiting for her, while trying to look like they weren't _really_ waiting for her.

"Someone said you got a letter today, Lana," Lois said nonchalantly. "Who was it from?"

Lana's first impulse was to tell her it was none of her business, as she had no interest in sharing even the least part of her love letter with anyone. But then she remembered the line from Bruce, and relented just enough to tell that.

"The letter's from Clark, and at the end, it says to tell you that…" Lana looked back into the letter to make sure she got this right, "…Bruce says you are in his thoughts."

"Really?" Lois asked, as she maneuvered to try and get a peek at the letter.

Knowing she'd lose a wrestling match with Lois, Lana finally folded the letter so that only the bottom line showed. Lois saw the writing and sighed as she slumped against a wall with a huge smile on her face. Lana and Alicia were so shocked by seeing such a girlish reaction from their older sister, that they both stood stock still with their mouths hanging open.

Lois finally noticed, and returned to her normal self quite quickly. "What? You'd think you two knuckleheads had never seen a woman in lust before." She stomped off then, without giving her sisters a chance to respond. Both were wondering if there was more to Lois' feelings for Bruce than just lust, but neither one was stupid enough to say so until Lois was long gone.

"Is our sister getting serious about Bruce?" Lana asked.

"It sure seems like it," Alicia giggled. "I haven't seen a glare from her like that in some time."

"I think if Bruce had a noble title, she might have allowed herself to say 'love.'"

"Mmm…maybe," Alicia said. "If that's true, then either you or I can ease her situation by getting married first."

"But will Father allow either of us to marry while Lois is still unwed?"

"You're right. We may _all_ end up as old maids at this rate."

While the Lang women discussed marriage prospects, Clark was well into Alemannia, with his ten-man bodyguard and Bruce. Each night they made a compact campsite well away from any road, and then Clark used his magic to create a protective dome over them to keep anyone from surprising them in their sleep. The strange part was that they had to make camp while the sun was still up, so Clark could cast his spell and still use the sun to regenerate his energy before going to sleep. That meant they got up super early to make sure they still got it a full day's traveling.

So far in Alemannia, they'd seen nothing beyond small patrols by the local noble's army. Nothing to indicate the presence of Dru-Zod's troops. In the few taverns they'd stopped in, the only consistent war rumor they'd heard was of Zod's forces storming south some time back before turning about and heading away at a more leisurely pace. What made that story interesting to Clark was that Zod had supposedly left behind a large enough force to lay siege to the Duke of Salzerei's castle.

_There's no point in laying siege to that castle,_ Clark thought, _not unless he believes either my parents or my sister is holed up there._

Clark thought that was good information to have, but right _now_ that information meant he had to avoid Salzerei entirely to avoid being captured. That meant taking a circuitous route that went west and then north that would add days to his trip home. But with no indications yet that Zod had ever set foot in Borussia, home is exactly where he intended to go.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

On the Verge

Clark was headed for his seat of power in Borussia, not only because he needed to take control there to make use of his army, but because it was the best place for him to learn what was really going on in the kingdom.

During their journey so far, all he and his party had heard were various rumors, none of which had a hope of being confirmed or refuted while they were on the road.

As for what they saw with their own eyes, Clark and his party hadn't run into much in the way of military patrols, other than regular ones by the local lords. The sentiment in the various towns and villages they passed through seemed to be that their lords weren't keen on sticking their necks out to support either side.

"Humph," Bruce said, after they'd heard another version of the same story for the third village in a row. "Sounds like the small lords are too busy protecting what they've got to actually follow through on their obligations."

"They might not be lords at all once this is over," Clark said. His voice was tightly controlled and full of dark promise as he spoke. "At the very least any lord that failed to join his rightful king in battle will pay heavy fines, paying for his part of the war with his treasury, instead of his troops."

Clark's mood was dark for the rest of the day, until the dozen men made their way into a broad, shallow valley that Lord Lang's maps said led right to the capital city of Clark's duchy.

"We ought to be only a few hours away," Bruce said. "This would seem to be a good time and place to make camp."

Clark heard what Bruce said, but only distantly, as his eyes were in telescopic mode and focused on the city, and the neighboring palace, that no one else could see. "Yeah. Whatever," Clark said. His voice was as distracted as his thoughts were. "Just choose a spot and start making camp. I'll be there to cast the shield spell in just a moment or two."

While the men were gathering fuel for a cook fire, and arranging a picket line for the horses, Clark's eyes were filled with the sights of marble spires, colonnaded walkways, and lush gardens. Though this palace had been his since the day he was born, he'd never spent much time in Borussia and hadn't really cared to, but now that he was an adult and knew he was going to be living here once the war was over, he was looking at everything differently.

Everyone was ready before Bruce called Clark back to camp. The tents were staked, the cook fire had been started, and a pot of water was being set into place over the crackling fire to be heated so they could make a serviceable stew out of dried beef, dried beans, and various herbs and spices.

After making sure everyone was accounted for, Clark drew on his stored solar energy and cast the spell. Until he broke the spell the next morning, they'd be safe from roving animals and humans. As Clark waited to eat, happy that it wasn't Bruce's turn to cook, he dug into both of his saddlebags and pulled out his precious supply of paper and ink.

The sheets of paper were kept between two thin sheets of wood which were slightly larger than the paper. The two pieces of wood were then bound together to keep the paper secured. As for the ink, Clark kept a decently-sized supply in two well-stoppered bottles. That way, if one was damaged somehow, he'd still be able to write. As an added safety measure, he kept the ink and the paper in opposite bags just in case an ink bottle did break.

Bruce watched with thinly disguised envy, not so much that Clark had the tools for writing, but that his penmanship was exquisite. He'd seen a portion of the very first letter Clark had written to Lana, and had thought that the elegant script by itself should have been enough to make the girl swoon.

As for himself, Bruce could write, and knew he was lucky to have that skill, but his penmanship looked angular and cramped. It was nothing with which to impress a lady. And then he wondered why he should even worry about impressing a lady. He was a knight of humble birth and mean reputation. To top it off, he had no prospects for elevation to the kind of rank and wealth that might make his suit palatable to both his lady and her father.

Still, seeing his next king sitting there, struggling to find something meaningful to say to Lana after a long, boring day in the saddle, when he had no need to woo a woman at all, made Bruce wonder if he should at least make the effort. _I wonder if Lois would be the type to like a letter?_

When dinner was called, Clark set his letter aside, ate quickly since the heat of the stew didn't bother him, and went back to writing.

Lana was home that day, as she was most days, and between her tutoring sessions and her obsessive search for any scrap of news from back home to help keep her mind occupied, she was mostly able to deal with Clark's extended absence. But when she could hold back her feelings no longer, she disappeared into her room, locked the door behind her, and pulled Clark's letters out of their special resting place, an expensive black lacquerware box she had inherited from her mother. The box normally did nothing but sit on her writing desk and look pretty, but now that she was receiving letters, and _love_ letters at that, her box was beginning to fill, sheet by sheet.

Once she had her letters in hand, Lana climbed into bed wearing nothing but her shift, snuggled under the covers, and then read and reread each part of both letters she had received to this point. She had no doubt that more letters were on their way, but right now the two she had were enough, and she pored over them, savored each word, and began to commit them to memory.

Lord Lang had already been working on Clark's assignment of him as the quartermaster of the loyalist forces. Workmen had been hired to erect a series of warehouses on the back of the property, and the first warehouses were already being filled with durable goods like blankets and such. Food would come later, but contracts for various foodstuffs were already being signed in anticipation of the need.

But Lewis already had a need that had to be filled soon. This base that he was building up was only the beginning. He needed to start construction of a forward supply base in Alemannia, likely in Roskilde itself so his own small army could guard it, but he needed to send someone trustworthy to oversee construction and take charge of the base.

Lewis already knew he was going to choose one of his girls. He'd seen to it that they had the needed education, and he'd given them chances to prove themselves along the way, so he had confidence they could get the job done. First, he eliminated Alicia from consideration, as he just wasn't sure she had developed the strength of character needed to stand up to unruly teamsters, especially not at the age of fourteen.

He was sure Lois could do the job, but her method of getting cooperation when things got tough was to bludgeon everyone in her path until they did as she wished. Lana, on the other hand, used smiles and soft words, until the people she was dealing with found themselves eagerly doing the bidding of a slip of a girl, and wondering how it had happened.

Lewis knew which way would work better over the long run, so he summoned Lana into the library one morning, and gave her the assignment. Thrilled to know she had been chosen for such an important duty, Lana immediately went to her room and directed her maids in the packing of her belongings, as she fully intended to be on her way after the next morning's breakfast.

The one item Lana packed herself was the lacquerware box that contained her most precious possessions. Even though the box was made out of hard wood and had been covered with layers of lacquer which formed a protective coating, Lana wrapped the box further in an old shawl, after checking to make sure her letters were safely tucked inside, and then placed the bundle in one of her saddlebags.

Lana left the next morning with an escort of fifty armored horsemen, fully half of Lord Lang's available men. Lana chose to ride her own horse, but they were accompanied by several wagons of supplies for the trip, one of which contained a large chest of gold for the start of the construction of the forward supply base.

In Lana's saddlebags were letters to the officer left in charge of Lord Lang's army, to his castellan, and to his steward. The letters effectively put all three men under Lana's direct command, until such time as Lord Lang himself arrived on the scene. Which both Lana and Lewis knew would not be until after the war was over, but if thinking he was coming sometime soon soothed male egos so they would work with her, Lana didn't mind implying it.

Lana knew that a new wagon train of supplies would be sent to her every few days, once she'd had a couple of weeks to get a few buildings built, which meant she needed to get the local sawmill going and secure a ready supply of lumber for the mill to cut into planks.

All day as Lana rode, she went over various contingencies in her mind, until she decided she could make use of the men her father had placed under her command. She realized it would be stupid to try and do everything herself, so she'd assign some of her tasks to the people working under her. Having realized she wasn't going to be doing this alone, Lana relaxed a bit and made smaller plans, figuring she'd wait to talk to her people before trying to do anything specific.

It was only when her evening meal was complete that she allowed her thoughts to turn to Clark. She wondered where he was and what he was doing. Was he safe, or at least as safe as a knight could be during a war? Only when she had thoroughly cleaned her hands, and was snug in her tent, did Lana dare to open her letter box. This was the one part of this assignment she did_ not_ like: her letters from Clark would have to travel all the way south to the outskirts of Varshova before her father packaged them up with any instructions he had for her, and sent them back north to her in Roskilde. She wished she could somehow tell Clark she was moving closer to him, both in the hope of getting her letters faster…and in the very slight hope he might be able to visit her.

While Lana was headed toward her old home, Clark was about to enter his new one. On the day she was leaving the manor on the outskirts of Varshova, he was leading his eleven men into the city. They looked like just another troop of road-weary mercenaries looking for a job guarding a merchant's wagon train. Each man sat ramrod straight in his saddle, but they were covered with a little sweat and a lot of road dust, and their horses looked to need a serious grooming.

Only Bruce looked like anything out of the ordinary, as he had pulled on his full battle armor for the first time since they had left the summer palace all those months ago. It was Cipangan samurai armor, all in black, and Clark thought it would tend to bolster Bruce's claim to being the Dark Knight, should such be necessary. Privately, Clark also thought the armor would make it more likely for Bruce to survive the throne room if things went really wrong in there today.

So it was that the few townspeople who saw the dozen men ride into town early that morning were surprised to see them head through town and toward the ducal palace, instead of heading for the merchant's square to try and get hired.

The palace was located miles out of town, and people were prohibited from building any closer to the palace for reasons of aesthetics and security. Clark had a plan, and had discussed it with Bruce and his guard commander over breakfast. Once they cleared the city and were covering the last miles before the palace, Clark dug into his traveler's belt for the ducal signet ring and placed it on his hand.

As they approached the open gate to the expansive palace grounds and began a slow trot up the gravel path, between a double line of towering cedar trees, Clark began looking around, truly _seeing_ the grounds for the first time, and wondering what it would be like to go for a ride in these woods, or take walks in the gardens. And in his mind's eye, there was only one hand holding his as he walked. Only one person allowed to ride by his side as he rode through the verdant parkland. Only one person who could be his duchess and princess.

Only Lana.

He wondered if that would be something good to include in his next letter to her, that he'd had a waking dream, and it had been of her, of _them, _and that he'd wanted it more than he knew how to express.

Clark found his thoughts jarred back to the present as he reached the foot of the broad stairway that led to the massive oak front doors. All twelve men dismounted, but only Clark and Bruce started up the steps.

"Well," Bruce said, "we've made it this far."

"Yeah. But the important part is just coming up."


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

A New Home

The two men had almost reached the massive oak doors at the top of the steps, when Clark remembered he needed the documents from his saddlebags. It only took a minute for Clark to retrieve the documents and return to where Bruce was waiting.

"Oops. Almost forget something important back there?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah. Just my sworn statement from Lord Lang that he knighted me." Clark looked up at the doors, and the soldiers, each wearing a green tabard embroidered with a golden eagle. He took a deep breath, and said quietly, "There's one thing I haven't really told you yet."

"Hmm?"

"Even though I'm the crown prince, here in Borussia, things are different. This is where my family started in this world. We ruled here first, long before we took the throne of Alemannia, so while Borussians are proud their duke will one day be the king, they are fierce in their determination to have him as their duke, not their crown prince, _until_ that time."

"Sooooo…I need to call you Duke Kal-El, and not Crown Prince Kal-El?" Bruce ventured.

"Correct." Clark said, as he held up his ring hand, showing Bruce the glittering ducal signet. "You'll notice I've even gone so far as to leave my royal signet ring in my belt. When I'm here, I'm _only_ the duke."

"And the correct style for a duke is…?"

"Your Grace."

"Got it." Bruce turned and gestured toward the doors looming at the top of the steps. "So, your Grace, shall we go on then?"

"Yes, It's time for me to become Kal-El once more." Clark looked a bit pensive for just a moment, and then said very quietly, "I hope Lana likes him when she meets him for the first time." Then, a transformation in Clark's demeanor took place as he drew his years of training onto him like a suit of armor. This was who he was supposed to be. This was where he truly belonged, and today was the first day he was going to put his training to use.

"Come on, Sir Bruce," Kal-El said, "we have a steward that needs to meet us."

Only when Kal-El and Bruce approached the doors did the guards move from their statue-like stances. The guards had seen the two approaching men for some time and both were surprised to see the tall and powerfully-built, but grubby-looking soldier take the lead position instead of the elaborately armored knight. Once the men drew close, the soldiers crossed their halberds, meaning to block the way, and uttered their challenge.

"Halt! Stand and be recognized."

"My companion in the black is Sir Bruce Wayne," Kal-El said. "While that may not mean much to you, he's also known far and wide as the Dark Knight." Kal-El was satisfied with the way the two guards eyes opened wide as they involuntarily looked at Bruce once more. But as stunned as the men were to be facing a living legend, Kal-El drew their attention back to himself with what he said next. "As for myself, I make no claim to any special fame. I've just come home to see what the steward has done with my palace while I've been away."

Both guards looked at Kal-El like he'd fallen out of the top of the stupid tree and hit his head on every single branch on his way to the ground. Bruce chose that moment to speak up. "What he _means_ to say is that his name is Kal-El, he's the Duke of Borussia, and he would very much like it if you let him into his own house."

The guards exchanged looks that plainly said they were way in over their heads, a feeling that only multiplied when they looked back at Kal-El, who looked almost bored with the proceedings, to find him holding up his left hand. The guards could see it was a signet ring, but had no idea what any particular one looked like. That decided it for them, it was time to get an officer out here.

One of the guards opened a door behind them and turned halfway to bellow for their officer to come support them. The officer was just a runt, the third or fourth son of some unimportant lord, but he was supposed to know what to do in situations like this, and besides, if the _runt_ made the decision, _they_ couldn't be blamed for it.

The two guards were soon joined by the officer, denoted as such by the gold scrollwork on the edges of his tabard, and the rank insignia on each shoulder, and by the short green horsehair crest on his helmet.

"What seems to be the problem this time, Perkins?" the officer asked with asperity. "Some old villager insisting the steward buy her goats? Hmm?"

That was the last thing the officer had time to say before getting his first look at Kal-El and Bruce. He stopped and his eyes narrowed, especially when he saw Bruce's distinctive armor, but then he caught sight of the gold signet ring and stepped closer for a better look.

The young officer, a lieutenant by rank, blanched when he recognized the eagle that decorated the ring as being the same as the ones on the tabards of every soldier in the duke's service. Not quite sure yet if this man was who he claimed to be, but very afraid to act otherwise, the officer backed up a step, bowed as low as he could and held it, while muttering at the muttonheads behind him to do the same.

"Rise," Kal-El said.

All three soldiers rose, with the lieutenant giving a terse command for the two guards to remain in place, while he guided the duke and his guest inside.

"Your Grace," the lieutenant said, "I am at your service. What is your will?"

"Your name."

"Max-Ar, your Grace."

"Well, Lieutenant Max-Ar," Kal-El, asked, "where might I find my steward at this time of day?"

Holding out one hand as if intending to point the way, Max-Ar said, "He's undoubtedly in the throne room, my lord. He's known to handle your business before the noon meal so he can enjoy his afternoons."

"Sounds sensible," Bruce said.

"Yeah," Kal-El replied, "let's hope he _remains_ sensible when we meet him." Kal-El turned to the lieutenant. "Send someone to find the chamberlain. I have a few desires he can attend to while Bruce and I go see the steward."

The chamberlain took his own sweet time in coming, thinking he was being summoned by one of the self-important officers of the guard to handle something that a lesser member of the staff could handle. His first sight of Kal-El was from across the room, a fairly long distance, so even though he had seen the young duke in the last couple of years, he didn't recognize him at first. Only when he made his way across the room to where the two young visitors were standing did the chamberlain get a good look at Kal-El's face.

The chamberlain stopped on the spot and swept into a low, elegant bow. Kal-El nodded his head in reply and asked the chamberlain to stand. Kal-El could see the questions piling up behind the older man's eyes, but those would have to wait for some other time.

"Lord Chamberlain," Kal-El began, as the man stood once more, "I have ten men and fourteen horses outside that need to be seen to as soon as possible."

"Very good, your Grace."

"And as for Sir Bruce," Kal-El pointed to the darkly armored knight standing behind him like a wraith, "prepare a suite for him immediately next to my rooms. Once I'm done establishing my credentials with the steward, we'll want to clean up and eat."

"As you command," the chamberlain said, as he bowed his way out of his duke's presence and began to fulfill his duties. "You, Boy!! Go to the stables and let them know they have work to do. Fourteen horses, and among them are horses belonging to the duke himself." The chamberlain summoned a passing housemaid. "Whatever you are doing can wait, Girl. Right now, I need you to bring your mistress down here immediately. Once she's here, I'll have more for you to do…now go!"

The rest of the chamberlain's preparations happened out of Kal-El's hearing, his normal hearing anyway, as he motioned for the lieutenant to guide him and Bruce to the throne room. As they walked down the grand gallery, the three men passed another pair of burly guards every fifty feet or so, until they reached the ornate, brass-bound doors to the throne room.

At the lieutenant's approach, the guards opened the doors and the three men walked into an expansive anteroom with liberal seating along the walls for people who were waiting their turn to enter the throne room. There appeared to be a few petitioners waiting their time with the steward, but Kal-El ignored them and headed straight for a clerk, who had a standing desk in front of the inner doors that led into the throne room itself.

Not wanting word of his arrival to somehow reach the steward before he himself did, Kal-El stood directly in front of the clerk and didn't say a word, choosing instead to wave his signet ring under the man's nose.

That got him instant attention.

"I believe I'm next on your list," Kal-El said casually.

"Uhhhh….y-y-yes, Sire. I mean, yes, your Grace. In fact, I can show you in now, if you'd prefer."

"Thanks for the offer, but Sir Bruce and I will wait for the next spot." Kal-El stepped back and told Bruce to move a few feet away from him. Once they were a decent distance apart, Kal-El tapped into his solar energy and said, "Contego" twice. The first time was to cast a shield around Bruce, the second time was to cast a shield around himself. He knew something of the security provisions in the throne room and figured if he and Bruce were to have problems, this would be the place.

"Make sure your katana is loose in its scabbard," Kal-El said, as he checked his sword just to be safe.

Bruce did as he was told, even though he was somewhat surprised after how easily things had gone so far. "Why the sudden worry?"

"In the throne room, there are four hidden niches at various points. There are expert archers in each. Their view ports are constructed in such a way that they can all see and shoot at the area where the petitioners stand, but none can see or shoot at the dais itself.

"Those are just the security provisions I remember. There may be some I've forgotten, and some may have been added since the last time I was briefed. Just be wary. The steward may not want to give up his position of power just yet." Kal-El then lowered his voice so that Bruce could barely hear him. "My biggest fear is that Dru-Zod has gotten to the steward and offered him something if he keeps my army out of the rebellion."

Their wait wasn't long, and soon, the clerk was showing Kal-El and Bruce into the throne room itself. Bruce looked around in awe at the ornate room. The floor consisted of alternating squares of white and black marble, and the path from the doors to the dais was covered with an intricately embroidered silk carpet that covered the entire width of the path. Flanking the carpet were widely spaced fluted columns with Corinthian capitals that were gilded with gold leaf. The walls were somewhat distant, but now that Bruce had been alerted about what to look for, he easily spotted _six_ of the hidden niches and supposed there could be more he hadn't seen. _Kal-El was right…they have added some security provisions since he left._

When the two men reached the point for petitioners to stop, which was indicated by the two burly halberd-wielding guards who stepped into their way, the steward looked up from his schedule and peered down at the two seemingly mismatched men. "You don't appear to be the representatives from the local blacksmithing guild." The steward paused. "A knight wearing black armor that matches every description I've ever heard of that worn by Cipangan samurai, and an even larger man who's more simply arrayed in chain mail and leather." He directed his look at the man who obviously looked to be in charge, namely Bruce. "Please introduce yourselves and tell me what you wish from me, Sir Knight."

Bruce smiled grimly. "My name is Sir Bruce Wayne, and I am the bodyguard of and companion to the recently knighted man standing here with me. His name is Sir Kal-El…" Bruce heard a hissing intake of breath from the steward, "…but you likely know him better as _Duke_ Kal-El."

Kal-El chose that moment to remove his helmet and it's attached chain camail from around his head and neck. That was enough to get the steward to nod. _The hair is much shorter now, _the steward thought, _and he's filthy like I've never seen a member of the House of El be before, but it's definitely the duke._

The steward rose instantly from his chair, which was on the dais, but set in front of the throne so no one would think he was usurping the duke's position. He stepped down off the dais and approached Kal-El, who started to raise his signet ring for the steward's inspection. The steward didn't wait for the ring, however, and bowed low before his duke.

"I don't need to see the ring, your Grace, for I remember your face."

"Then rise, my steward, and tell me your name." The man's name was Robert Schmidt, and it turned out his family had a long history of service with the Dukes of Borussia. Once he introduced himself, Steward Schmidt remembered Bruce's introduction of Kal-El as including the declaration that he was a knight. He believed them, but as the steward he needed proof before handing over control of the duchy. Otherwise, the king might have his head.

Kal-El handed over the paperwork from Lord Lang, and after a careful perusal of it, the steward found everything to be in order and loudly proclaimed to everyone in attendance that the Duke of Borussia had come home to take up the rule of his people.

Just as Kal-El started to turn to face the small crowd of courtiers in attendance, all of them dropped in low bows, even as four green-tipped arrows raced out from some of the hidden guard niches and headed for Kal-El's chest.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Parallel Courses

The four arrows crashed up against the shield Kal-El had cast around himself and were stopped on the spot. All four arrowheads crumpled and the wooden shafts splintered, ending up like a child's toys in the hands of a angry god.

An angry god was the least of anyone's worries as a coldly efficient Bruce drew his katana and checked the fleeing crowd of courtiers to see if any guards were using the confusion to try to escape. He spotted one, and assuming Kal-El was safe behind his shield, took off to chase down the guard.

Kal-El saw what Bruce was doing, and dropped the shield around the famous knight so he could reach out with his katana kill if necessary. The steward, meanwhile, was calling for more guards at the top of his lungs. The guards came pouring into the throne room with their weapons drawn, half expecting to see the steward spitted on some assassin's sword, so when they saw Bruce chase down a guard and stop him at sword's point, they all veered in his direction, thinking he was a criminal.

Acting before Bruce could be forced to kill half a dozen guards, Kal-El used his parade ground voice, a voice of command he'd trained to use on the battlefield, where being heard was essential even amidst the din of combat, and bellowed for everyone to hold where they were.

All the soldiers, including Bruce, instinctively recognized that command and reacted to it, coming to a stop long enough for the steward to get his guards straightened out on who they were here to protect and who needed to be taken into custody.

The first rogue guard was disarmed and taken to one side by the newly arrived guards, while Kal-El pointed out where the other arrows had come from. Bruce followed Kal-El's directions and quickly rounded up the other three would-be assassins. It turned out they had hoped no one would be able to say exactly where the arrows came from, since there were more guard niches than arrows. Their hopes were unfounded, and they were marched over to where their compatriot stood.

Kal-El used his x-ray vision to check the four men for any hidden weapons, especially any with green Kryptonite, but found nothing. Approaching his would-be assassins, Kal-El asked, "Why?"

The men were sullen, and stayed quiet, until some of their former comrades in the palace guard started poking them in the fleshy parts of their bodies with sword points. "Why should we tell you anything? You will kill us no matter what we say."

"True," Kal-El agreed, "you _will_ die today, and you will do so publicly. You will be taken into the city and executed in the main square. But the speed and pain of your deaths have yet to be determined. It can all be over with the flash of a sword if you cooperate, or you can spend some time being worked over before being killed in some grotesquely brutal way. Your choice."

"Our families? Will our families be spared?"

"You have my word, as a member of the House of El, that no harm will come to your families…with the one proviso that they cannot have known about this or participated in it in any way."

"Fine," the seeming ringleader said, as his shoulders slumped, "we'll talk."

Kal-El took a seat on the steps of the dais, and then upon his steward's recommendation, shifted to the throne to make a more imposing sight. Bruce stood at Kal-El's right hand, with his katana still out and his eyes searching the crowd for more threats, and Steward Schmidt stood at Kal-El's left hand.

"We were approached individually by agents of Dru-Zod and offered huge bonuses for making sure you didn't survive if you came back. Then they brought us together and made sure we all had a supply of the green-tipped arrows."

"How…how did you _hope_ to escape?"

The former guard gestured toward the throne. "There's an escape tunnel behind your throne. In the confusion, we expected to get in there, shut the door, and then drop the bolt into place so we could make our escapes. We were told the tunnel empties out into the stables of the palace guards."

"So it does," the steward said.

"How much were you four to be paid?" Kal-El asked.

"One-thousand gold pieces. More than enough to move my family elsewhere, buy a tavern, and improve our lives."

The other three former guards told much the same story, before Kal-El passed judgment. "It looks like my first official engagement will be to attend a public execution." Kal-El turned to his steward. "Set it up. I want it over as soon as possible."

"As you command, your Grace."

"And while you're at it, find these men's families and pay them the one-thousand gold each that was promised. That way, they can start that new life."

"What if they have pride and reject the blood money?"

Kal-El smiled. "If they reject the money, offer a position here in the palace to the eldest child of each family. Those are the kind of people I _want_ serving me."

The executions were taken care of within an hour. Kal-El and Bruce didn't even clean up before riding back into the city at the head of a large procession. Right in the middle of the main square, a headsman's block was set up with an empty bucket sitting before it. Each condemned man approached the block from the other side, knelt, and hung his head over the edge of the block, right above the bucket.

The execution itself was a two man job, with the first man using the tip of his sword to pierce the side of the condemned man which made him involuntarily stretch his neck in response. The second man was an expert swordsman with a razor sharp blade, and his powerful downstroke made contact with the condemned's neck just after it stretched out.

One by one, each man paid for his treason with his life, and as the man who imposed the sentence on them, Kal-El was there, right in front, to bear witness to the sentence being carried out.

On the ride back to the palace, Kal-El confided that he wasn't so hungry anymore. "Blood can do that," Bruce said. He thought a moment, and then added, "I bet condemning those four men to death and then watching someone else kill them was tougher on you than killing the twenty-four men who ambushed you back in Krakovia."

"Yeah. It was necessary though. Not so much for those four men, but as a deterrent for any other man or woman who might think to betray me in the future." They rode in companionable silence for a while, until the palace itself came into view. "I may not be too hungry, but I think I need _two_ baths now: one to remove the filth of our long journey, and the second one to cleanse myself of the stench of death."

Kal-El saw the huge green flag with the embroidered golden eagle flying from the highest point of the palace. He noted that this flag had a heavy gold fringe, as opposed to the plain green and gold flag that had been flying when he had approached the palace the first time. When he pointed it out to Bruce, the Dark Knight asked, "So, the gold fringe means the duke is in residence?"

"Yeah. It looks like Steward Schmidt wasted little time in accepting the changeover."

"Good. Think you can order up a pair of hot baths? _Without _having a gaggle of servants trying to scrub me?"

Kal-El laughed as he remembered the indignity of being taken care of by Lord Lang's servants. "I might be able to manage that for you, my friend, but not likely for me."

Clark was smiling, imagining what it would look like if the servants tried to wash Bruce, when Bruce asked, "Do you mean that, your Grace? Are you sure?"

"Mean what? I rarely say anything I don't mean."

"You called me your friend."

Surprised by the question, Kal-El turned in the saddle and looked at his bodyguard, companion, and friend. "Yes. That's a word I do not ever use lightly."

"Good. I can always use one more friend." _And today I got my first one, _Bruce thought, as a tight smile crept into position on his face.

As with Clark, Lana had little trouble establishing her position once she presented her letters from her father. The castellan, who was in charge of Roskilde Castle, the steward, who ran Lord Lang's affairs while he was away, and the captain-general of his army were all intensely loyal to Lord Lang and would do as he commanded, without question. That meant they were all at Lana's command for the duration.

The maids still left in the castle after the move south months earlier were supplemented by additional hires from the small town at the foot of the castle, but Lana left all those hires to the housekeeper she brought with her. She had something more important to deal with, and after establishing herself, she held an immediate council with those three men to explain her father's position and the job that she had been given. Then Lana made use of the men, particularly their experiences and knowledge, to decide on the best way to proceed.

Lana then assigned the steward to the task of finding the lumber, while she went personally to hire the local sawmill. The miller was more than happy to have the Baron's business, and told her he could start making planks now from his on-hand stock of lumber, while he waited for the steward's lumber to start arriving.

The captain-general brought Lord Lang's army closer to home so that it would be better able to provide security for this supply base. The castellan went down to find the best location for the base. He was glad the harvest was already in so that they didn't have to destroy anyone's crops.

By day three, Lana had a crew putting up the first warehouse, and by the end of the first week, the first building was completed and two more were under way. Lana was putting in long hours every day, because she believed if set the example of hard work, she could demand the same from the people under her.

The fifty man guard that had accompanied Lana to Roskilde had already returned to Krakovia, but something had already come to her from her father. When the courier hand delivered the packet from her father, she retired to her in-castle office and sorted through the letters in the packet. Along with instructions from her father was another letter from Clark.

Feeling a surge of energy coursing through her veins at the sight of Clark's handwriting, Lana smiled and hurried next door to carefully place his letter inside her lacquerware box. _Just knowing he still cares charges me up like nothing else, _Lana thought happily. _And knowing we're fighting for the same cause makes me feel closer to him everyday. _

_I wonder if he guesses that I work as hard as I do partially because I know these supplies will eventually go to support the army he's joined up with. Anything that helps that army will help my Clark come back to me sooner and in better health. I'll do anything to see that happen._

Late that night, after a late dinner and conference with her primary subordinates to review what had been accomplished and what needed to be done tomorrow, Lana finally allowed her maids to wash the filth off of her and dress her for bed. Only when they were gone, and a small fire was burning in her fireplace, did Lana dig out her precious new letter, crawl into bed, and allow herself to wallow in her feelings.

Beloved Lana,

I love you.

It's been weeks since I left you, but it has felt like years. I long to see you, to touch you, to steal one more kiss.

I remember the anger and harsh words of our parting, and wish I had that day back to do all over again. You were angry, and rightly so, as there are a number of things I've kept from you to protect you. Know now that whatever anger I showed you that day was just misplaced wounded pride. I do not hold your words against you, but only wish I could take my actions back. It seems that even the hurt of being called a coward by the woman I love now pales in comparison to just how much I love her.

And I do love you so.

You inspire my actions just as much now as you did when I left. Even now, as we near our first goal, I live each day as if you were here with me, and find myself asking if the actions I take are ones of which you would approve.

Dearest, loveliest Lana.

I am sure you worry about me, though I believe you're not the type to let it show. Just know I am being as safe as I can, so I can return to you someday. For example, we've just heard a large military force is encamped around Salzerei Castle. The Duke of Salzerei is a known ally of the king, but the force may be Zod's and may be laying siege to the castle, so we will proceed with caution as we check this out. If the force at Salzerei is Zod's, we will have to swing wide around them to continue our journey. But getting there late is better than rotting in a dungeon somewhere.

I'm almost out of space for writing, and I want to send this letter off in the morning with the merchant we talked to who warned us about the troops up ahead, so I'll close this letter with my wishes for your health, safety, and happiness, even as I know I have yours.

Yours, now and forever,

Sir Clark of Kent

Lana leaned back against her fluffy pillows and kicked her feet into the air with delight. Then she went back and read the entire letter once more before holding it against her chest as she closed her eyes and thought of Clark.

After that, despite her exhaustion, nothing would do but that she get out of bed and retrieve the other two letters from her lacquerware box so she could read all three of them over and over. Lana drank in every word and savored every emotion from the letters for quite some time before finally putting all three letters securely in their box, and snuggling her pillow close as thoughts of Clark soothed her to sleep.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

The Quiet Before the Storm

Upon return to his palace, Kal-El, Bruce, and Kal-El's ten man bodyguard were all treated to steaming-hot baths and then a large meal. All twelve men would have been happy with any meal that wasn't prepared on the road, but the chef went all out and made something extra nice for the duke and his men.

The afternoon was spent in conference, going over the state of the duchy and all of the information that had come in about the location, size, and composition of the various forces in the war. This was the first solid information Kal-El had received, and it allowed him, Bruce, and Steward Schmidt to make some definite plans.

With the weather getting colder, Kal-El and his advisors figured there was only about another month of good campaigning weather before it got too cold for any fighting to continue. Kal-El's big goal was to maneuver his army to join up with the larger combined army Dax-Ur was leading, without running into Dru-Zod's force.

His secondary goal was to then lead that newly combined army south toward the big supply base that Lord Lang was constructing somewhere near Roskilde. That would make it easier to supply his men during the winter, and hopefully make things much more difficult for Zod's men, giving them the choice of retreating toward their own lands for shorter supply routes or enduring a miserable winter that would likely wreak havoc on the army's health and morale.

Kal-El planned on avoiding a big battle this season, and get his men into a snug, well-supplied encampment where they could wait out the winter. He then planned to visit as many as possible of the lords that hadn't yet committed to one side or another to talk them into supporting the king, so their personal armies could be added to the one he and Dax-Ur had assembled. That way, the loyalist forces would have enough men to be able to go on the offensive in the spring and hopefully finish the war quickly.

While Kal-El was checking maps and making plans, his servants were preparing a small baggage train just for him, with plenty of fine food and wine, a large tent, and an array of fine clothes for him to wear.

Kal-El made one special request of his people: he wanted a couple of good-sized white and gold royal standards. Even though he was playing the role of duke right now, Kal-El knew he'd eventually have to identify himself as the crown prince, especially on the battlefield, and marching under a white silk flag with an appliquéd gold silk dragon was the easiest way he could think of to announce who he was from a distance.

To finish off the flag for him, the ladies on his staff had to give it a heavy black fringe. A plain royal standard might just indicate a unit of the royal household guards, or some portion of the King's Legion, but a gold fringe meant the king was present, a silver fringe indicated the queen was the senior family member present, and a black fringe meant the crown prince was the leading family member present.

Kal asked that the ladies not fringe the second royal standard because he thought he might run into his parents or sister at some point and wanted a back up flag for one of them in case it became necessary.

That night, after a long day of planning, Kal-El, Bruce, and Kal-El's ten man bodyguard slept in real beds for the first time in a long time. They all figured it was likely their last time for quite some time, too, and thus planned on enjoying it to the fullest.

The next morning brought about another change in Kal-El's life. Once he had come home and claimed his position as the reigning Duke of Borussia, he knew it wouldn't take too long before word reached Zod that the crown prince had come out of hiding. Kal-El would have joined his own army well before Zod learned this, but that might just make his army Zod's target instead of Dax-Ur's.

In any case, as Zod would soon know where he was, there was no sense in hiding any longer, so his valet dressed him like the wealthy and powerful man he was. Gone were the chain mail and leather armor and the somewhat ratty looking frayed wool shirt and trousers.

Kal-El was now arrayed in a fine linen shirt with lace on the end of his cuffs, a green wool military jacket with gold scrollwork on the chest and cuffs and a gold silk sash across the waist, a pair of white wool knee breeches, and glossy, knee-high black riding boots. To this, Kal-El added a bright new white sword belt, from which he hung his sword. He had all sorts of other clothes he could wear, should the weather worsen, but cold didn't affect him unless he was using his training amulet, so the cold weather gear was stashed deep in his baggage train. The one extra bit of clothing he expected to make much use of was an ankle-length waterproof cape made out of oilskin. Even _that_ concession to the weather would mostly be to protect his uniform.

Bruce picked up some well-needed changes of clothing to go along with his armor. The staff found some standard soldier's tunics and trousers that would fit Bruce with little in the way of alteration, and then dug up an oilskin cape for Bruce, along with a thick winter fur coat, hat, and mittens for the colder months ahead.

Bruce was amazed to see that by the time they were ready to leave, he had acquired so much in the way of extra clothing and personal items that a wagon had been entirely devoted to his things. He was pleased to know he'd be sufficiently warm in the winter, but wondered at the toll the extras would have on their speed of march. He was about to protest them as unnecessary, when Kal-El just pointed at the baggage train that carried nothing but things for him.

"Don't worry about one wagon, Bruce," Kal-El advised. "With all the wagons I have, and then all the wagons they're sending with the troops that will accompany us, one wagon more or less won't matter."

"Yeah," Bruce said, "I guess one-thousand soldiers _do _require a lot in the way of provisions and baggage. Still, I'm not used to traveling so heavily."

"Get used to it, Bruce. You're not guarding a 'squire' anymore. Now you're dealing with the wealthiest duke in the kingdom." Kal-El reached up and scratched the back of his head. "The days of the twelve of us just hitting the road and riding are _over._ I won't be able to go anywhere ever again without a large entourage."

The column of troops and supply wagons left during the afternoon of Kal-El's second full day in his palace. Two nights in soft beds had been nice, but they needed to get going, as everyone was sure Zod had some spies in the palace, and that word of Kal-El's appearance was even now making it's way to Zod's spymaster.

Word that the crown prince had reappeared could cause Zod's army to change course and try to intercept him before he was able to link his army with Dax-Ur's. Zod was in between them, somewhat anyway, but if Kal-El moved quickly, he stood a good chance of getting his army on the move before any spy information had a chance to get to Zod.

Lana was having a big day of her own the day her beloved Clark left his palace behind. But it was a big day she didn't think anyone remembered. Lana woke that morning knowing it was her seventeenth birthday. As her maids helped her through her morning ablutions, she thought it likely that with her family and most of the long-time Lang family servants still in Krakovia, there wouldn't be many left who would remember this was her special day.

Trying to put aside her expected disappointment as just another cost of doing such an important job for her father and the royal family, she moped her way through a breakfast that had little more than a few dried strawberries in her oatmeal to 'brighten' her morning.

The weather was already quite a bit colder than it had been only two months earlier, and Lana dressed for a day in the blustery winds that were common up here in the foothills of the mountains. She still wore dresses, but now her dresses were made of heavy wool and she wore several wool shifts underneath her dresses. Wool mittens, sturdy boots, thick wool socks, and a hooded, thick wool cloak finished her ensemble.

Each supply caravan from her father in Krakovia contained another chest of money for expenses, but when Lana had thought her workers might be inadequately clothed for cold weather work, she had sent an emergency request to her father for as many warm gloves, mittens, hats, and cloaks as he could find. That request had been dispatched by courier, as Lana felt she couldn't wait for the returning caravan to carry the message. Her father had agreed and had sent everything he could buy in and around Varshova to send to her with a hastily organized convoy.

Those clothes were nice, but only supplementary to the clothes the workers' families made with the increased wages they had been receiving for the work they were doing during what was normally a time of little or no work in the town.

The upshot of the caravan of free winter clothing was that the people of the town knew just how much their lady cared for them. Lana had even gone to the caravan when it came in, to help distribute the clothes herself.

As Lana headed down the winding road from the castle to the town, on her way to the sprawling warehouse complex she was in charge of, for another long day of work, she was surprised to see the town square unusually busy, with various people busily setting up numerous tables and long benches.

Lana stopped her small bodyguard and headed over to the hubbub to find out what was going on. When she dismounted, she saw her father's steward was among the people setting up, which only managed to pique her interest.

"Would someone be so kind as to tell me just exactly _what_ is going on here?" Lana's voice wasn't impatient-sounding, nor did she seem angry. Most people within hearing distance just thought she sounded puzzled.

The steward had come to town so early this morning just for the purpose of answering this question. He knew Lady Lana would notice the hubbub and wonder about it enough to stop. His task was to get her to stay…or better yet, to come back down from the castle in an hour or two when the air was warmer and the people had set things up.

The steward gestured back toward some open space, and asked, "If you would, Milady?"

Lana consented to the steward's request for a private talk. When they had walked far enough to be well away from everyone, the steward said, "It's a festival of sorts."

"A festival? For what? Harvest is long gone, and Winter Solstice isn't for more than another month."

The steward pursed his lips and then came right out with it. "The purpose of this festival is to celebrate your birthday, Milady."

Lana was both surprised and pleased. If asked, she could not have said which feeling was stronger at that moment. Gaining time to think, Lana asked, "Umm…_why?"_

"First, because you're a demanding but fair boss who doesn't ask anything more from her workers than you do from yourself. The men who work under your direction all know you are the first one to the job site in the morning and the last one to leave at night. They appreciate that you share the long hours and the tough working conditions that they have to face.

"Second, because you've taken the time to get to know your workers. Most of those men had never met a member of your family until you came home and started this project. The people of Roskilde have always liked the Lang family, knowing them to be good rulers, but getting to know you, even a little bit, has them starting to _love_ the Langs." The steward shook his head in wonder. "It's been an amazing thing to see over the past several weeks.

"Third, because your family is hundreds of miles away. They don't want you to go through this special day alone. They seem to want, if only for a day, to _be_ your family. From what the mayor has told me, this will be a big deal. All the families are expected to bring a special dish for a day of feasting, there will be games for the children and even some for the adults, and then the town band will play and there will be lots of dancing and drinking."

"I've come down to town for most of the festivals," Lana said, "but this sounds like something a bit bigger than what I remember."

"It probably is. All of this war work is pumping a large amount of money into this town, extra money the people don't usually have, so most of these families can afford to do something a little more special and still have a decent amount of money left over."

Lana smiled softly as she watched the preparations that were for her. Or at least, she sensed, mostly for her. "I assume the reason you told me this was not that you were afraid I'd stop it, but more that you wanted me to give everyone a day off from working at the supply base."

The steward cracked a smile of his own and nodded once. "Truly, you are your father's daughter. You have his incisive mind…and yes, I do think the townspeople need a day off, to celebrate, let off steam, and to thank you for what you've done for them.

"But they're not the only ones who need a day off, Milady." Lana looked at the steward with raised eyebrows that seemed to ask him 'who?' "Lady Lana, you need a day off more than anyone else. I see the way you work. Day in and day out, you drive yourself relentlessly, and I think you need a break now and then to relax and rest."

"Do I look that bad?"

"No. If I may say so, Milady, you look as lovely as ever." There the steward paused. "There's just a tightness around the eyes and maybe a slight shortness of temper these days that give you away."

"I'm _not…"_ Lana had been about to say she was not getting short-tempered, but she caught herself just about to respond to the steward with some heat, and it surprised her. "Humph. I guess I am wound up a little bit." Lana peered at the steward. "How long have I been like this?"

A gentle shrug proceeded his answer. "A week or so. Most everyone's noticed it. Everyone, that is, except for the children. To them you're still unfailingly sweet."

Lana accepted the steward's judgment in the way it was intended. "Okay. Announce a day off for everyone in town. Send a note to the captain-general apprising him of the situation and let him know if any supply caravans come today, they will just have to come down and join the party today, and we will unload them tomorrow." Lana turned and looked back at the party preparations. Figuring the townspeople needed more time, she said, "I'm heading back to the castle to change into something more festive. I'll be back in an hour."

The steward faced Lana and bowed low, "Happy birthday, Milady."

Lana came back down, as she had said, in a much more festive dress, though still layered for warmth. When she and her ever-present guards reached the town square, an odd mishmash of table and chairs were set up, a number of which were laden with food and drink. Hundreds upon hundreds of town folk were gathered around the mayor and town council, which were all seated together in a long row.

As Lana approached the council, the men all rose, and one of her guards rushed forward to hold her horse while a couple of townspeople dragged a mounting block into position, all for Lana to dismount her horse like the fine lady she was.

Lana assumed she was supposed to approach the mayor to get this underway, but when she moved that way, the mayor gestured, and two very small children made their way out of the crowd and headed toward Lana.

Neither child looked to be more than five years old, and Lana thought they were absolutely adorable. The little girl looked up at Lana with wondering eyes. She'd never been this close to someone this pretty, who was dressed so fine, and she wanted to be just like Lana. The boy was shy and very nervous. Only with repeated vocal prodding by his mother did he manage to get close enough to Lana to do his job.

The girl curtseyed and the boy bowed, neither of which was smooth, but both were endlessly charming. At least Lana thought so, and dipped a brief but elegant curtsey of her own, which caused the girl to giggle madly and twist the fingers of one hand in her blonde curls, while the boy blushed and turned back toward his mother, who instantly told him to turn back around and do his duty.

The girl stepped up to Lana and handed her a small basket of savory treats. There were small glazed fruit tarts, warm meat pies with flaky crusts that were filled with meat, spices, and gravy, and other local delicacies. Only the best of the best had been placed in Lana's basket, and the smells wafting up from it were already making her hungry. The little girl received a big hug and few quiet words of thanks from Lana before she scurried back to her family.

The boy was next, and he handed her a small bouquet of the last wildflowers of the year. Purples, yellows, and pinks were all mixed together, and even though the petals looked somewhat wizened, they were still pretty. And in any case, it was the thought that counted. Squatting low enough to peer into her small admirer's eyes, Lana was surprised when the boy finally screwed up the nerve to look at her. What he said next was just too precious for words.

"Will you marry me when I get big?"

Wanting to honor the courage it must have taken for the boy to utter such a request, Lana leaned in, said, "We'll see," and kissed the boy on the cheek.

His eyes and mouth opened wide and he gasped, before running away from Lana, a hand pressed over his kissed cheek, shouting, "She kissed me! She kissed me! I'm gonna marry Lady Lana!"

Lana laughed out loud, clapping her hands a couple of times before clasping them together and holding her flowers up so she could smelling her fading bouquet.

The rest of the day, Lana was the guest of honor. She spent much of her time going from family to family and meeting the wives and all the children of the men who were working for her on this project. Lana was grateful for her basket of treats, as that kept her filled while visiting, plus everyone liked seeing her enjoy their special treats.

Lana watched from the side as their were games and races for kids and adults, and once the late afternoon approached, the town band, small and not that great, punched out some music to dance by. Lana took a turn with the mayor and with her five-year-old admirer, before taking center stage and loudly thanking everyone for making her seventeenth birthday one of her favorites.

Lana drifted back up the winding road to the castle feeling refreshed. For one day, she'd been able to leave behind the grinding work of preparing to supply an army. Her only wish was that her man had been here to enjoy this day with her. She stopped halfway to the castle and looked back on the townspeople as they cleaned up and went about their business. She wondered how many of them had a loved one in her father's army and were worried about that army being sent off to war. She hoped an end could be reached so they wouldn't have to wait and wonder like she was. When she made it back to the castle, Lana made sure to seek out the steward.

"Thank you," Lana said warmly.

"For what?" the steward replied as he looked up from his account books.

"For arranging that lovely day for me and for the townsfolk…we all needed a day to let loose a little bit."

"But what makes you think…?"

Lana cut off his attempt at modesty with a raised hand. "You said it yourself: I am my father's daughter. The townspeople never would have had the nerve to do something like this for a member of my family, without some high-level encouragement." Lana's sudden smile was as warm as her voice. "Once again, thank you."

The steward smiled then and nodded his head, reluctantly accepting thanks for a job that had needed to be done. "You are most welcome, Lady Lana. It is always my pleasure to serve the House of Lang."


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Competition

Reaching the main part of his army was easy as it was only a two-day march from Kal-El's palace. The hard part would be joining his force, which now numbered 13,000 men, with Dax-Ur's force farther to the east, as Dru-Zod's army was closer to both Kal-El's army and Dax-Ur's army, than they were to each other.

Kal-El and his captain-general had fast-moving light cavalry surrounding the main body of the army like a cloud as they marched toward Dax-Ur. The cavalry had two highly important primary jobs to accomplish while the rest of the army concentrated on marching at a fast, sustainable pace: one, they acted as the eyes and ears of the army, discovering what was out there and reporting back to the high command; second, they were out there to screen the army by preventing the enemy from discovering its strength and location.

During the military training of his youth, Kal-El had learned that a famous Kryptonian general had once said that with a clear superiority in just two things, information and speed, he could win any war…and that of the two, he preferred an edge in information. Kal-El knew his current chances for success depended in large part on his light cavalry. They needed to bring him accurate information on Zod's men and movements, while keeping Zod's people from learning about his own until it was far too late.

No news was good news for Kal-El and his officers, as the light cavalry reported no contacts with any patrols from Dru-Zod's army. The hardest part for the officers was setting a fast pace that wouldn't break the stamina of the army, especially the infantry.

Things were continuing to look good as Kal-El and his senior officers held their nightly staff meeting. Kal-El was nominally in charge, but wisely deferred most judgments to the experienced captain-general who'd led these men for the last ten years or so. Still, when a major decision had to be made, the captain-general laid out the choices, Kal-El weighed the information he'd been given, and made a choice.

Foremost of which was how to accomplish a river crossing with the enemy nearby. The bridge over the river was washed out, but the river was shallow enough for the soldiers and horses to wade, but with the river bottom being thickly muddy at that place, the wagon train of supplies would either have to go up river to the next usable bridge or wait for the army's engineers to build a replacement bridge.

The nearest bridge was a day's round trip away and would require splitting the army as some of the cavalry went off to escort the wagon train, while building a new bridge would take two days and require the army to stand in one place the whole time and hope Zod wasn't on the move. The lesser time spent was the key factor in Kal-El's decision. He chose to send his lengthy supply train upstream, away from Zod,

It was a good thing Kal-El chose to save a day by splitting his command, because just then, Lord General Dru-Zod was receiving his first positive information that Crown Prince Kal-El had come out of hiding and was on the move with the bulk of his forces. Zod's focus, up until now, had been keeping Dax-Ur's smaller army bottled up in this end of the kingdom. Zod's one worry was that allowing Dax-Ur to escape might allow him to pick up small additions to his army along the way from various loyal lords.

Zod's problem was getting his cavalry moving in the other direction, while trying to cover two likely, and one not so likely, lines of advance. His men spread out in a wide semicircle to the west, looking for any sign of the advancing Borussians.

Zod's searchers ran into Kal-El's cavalry, in their screening/protecting role, right about the time Kal-El was deciding to rush ahead and get across the river as soon as possible. By the time word reached Zod, and he got a large enough portion of his army on the road, Kal-El's men were already across the river and driving hard to link up with Dax-Ur.

Lord General Dru-Zod cursed himself and anyone else nearby for his failure to learn Kal-El had reappeared until it was far too late. Worse, now that he had made the unsuccessful gamble to try and catch Kal-El's Borussians crossing the river, his own army was now out of position and could not prevent Dax-Ur from escaping the small pocket in which his army had been trapped.

Kal-El saw the same things Zod did, except he still didn't know the exact location of Zod's army, so he drove his men ruthlessly, desperate to reach Dax-Ur in time to combine the two forces and make their escape.

Kal-El's outriders met up with Dax-Ur's at roughly the same time that Zod was back at the river crossing cursing himself. Dax-Ur's men sent to headquarters for someone high ranking to ride out and meet them, even as Kal-El's army kept on advancing toward the spot where the outriders had met.

A small contingent of Dax-Ur's soldiers and officers were present when the main body of Kal-El's army came into view. A cheer went up from Dax-Ur's beleaguered troops when the golden eagle of Borussia came into view on the green flag at the head of the column. Seeing the column of fresh troops, which was more than three miles long, gave new hope to men who'd become discouraged with the number of lords who had seemingly decided to sit out the rebellion and see who won.

By nightfall, Kal-El was being introduced to Dax-Ur, even as his men got a late meal and settled in for the night. "Go on then," Kal-El said, "make the introduction. I assume Lord General Dax-Ur has other things he needs to be doing right now, and as for me, it's been a long day and I could use some sleep."

"My prince," a minor lord in Dax-Ur's army said, "it is my pleasure to introduce to you Lord General Dax-Ur, Duke of Umbria." The duke stepped forward and held out his hand for a quick, formal shake, which Kal-El gladly accepted, even as the minor lord finished the introduction.

"Lord General, it is my highest privilege to introduce to you Lord Kal-El, Crown Prince of Alemannia, and Duke of Borussia."

"It's been a long time Dax," Kal-El said warmly. "I can't tell you how good it feels to be amongst people who are willing to fight instead of sit idly by and watch Zod ruin all we've built here."

"It _has_ been awhile, Kal," the much older man said with a chuckle, as he pointed to a couple of canvas camp chairs. Kal chose one and sat, allowing the rest of the people nearby to sit also. "I haven't been to court in three or four years. Not since your _memorable _sixteenth birthday."

Kal-El had the grace to flush with embarrassment, even as he appreciated Dax-Ur's delicate way of phrasing that last sentence. That birthday celebration had been a lot of fun, right up until the part where he and Dax-Ur's spectacularly gorgeous fourteen-year-old daughter Ingrid had been caught tonguing each other in a secluded corner of the hedge maze. Kal-El hadn't seen the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty since.

Until now.

"With you leave," Dax-Ur said, "I would like to take this chance to reintroduce my daughter to you."

Curious, Kal-El said, "Please do," and watched as a luminously beautiful young woman stepped into the firelight.

Kal-El remembered Lady Ingrid Dax-Ur as being very beautiful, but as she began a low and elegant curtsey, Kal-El realized either his memory was faulty, an absolute impossibility, or else she had grown even more beautiful in the interim. He rose, gave Lady Ingrid a moderately-deep bow in return, and then held out a hand for her to take as he bid her to rise.

"Hi, Ingrid," Kal-El said quietly.

"Hi, Kal," Ingrid replied, her laughing eyes dancing merrily with the flickering flames, "or do I have to call you your Highness now?"

"Only in public." Kal smiled as he lifted her hand and pressed his lips to the backs of her knuckles. "_Surely_ you remember how little I like ceremony."

"I _do,"_ Ingrid agreed, "but it's been three years, Kal. People can change a lot in three years. Take me for example. I was something of a wild, rebellious child the last time you met me. Now? Now, I've settled down quite a bit."

"I'm surprised to see you haven't found a husband yet," Kal said cautiously. Marriage was a subject he generally tried to avoid with young women, but he _was _quite surprised that a woman of her age, beauty, grace, and wealth hadn't yet been matched with someone suitable.

"I'm not quite eighteen yet, Kal. I've got time." Ingrid leaned in conspiratorily and whispered. "Just between you and me, I don't think I'll have long to wait once the war is over."

Realizing that the prince had more important matters to discuss with her father than marriages, Ingrid asked Kal-El's permission to withdraw for the evening, which he gladly granted. Once she had gracefully made her way to her nearby and very well-guarded tent, Kal-El turned to her father, who was watching him closely, and asked, "What in God's name were you thinking to bring a young woman on campaign with you? Have you no sense of decency?"

Dax-Ur took in a quiet breath and then slowly released it. "My wife and son are on a grand tour of a number of neighboring kingdoms and principalities, in an effort at finding him a suitable bride. You know, something about needing heirs for the succession; something of which I am sure you are well aware." Kal-El nodded in agreement. "That left Ingrid alone with me when the rebellion struck. Being far from any borders, my family doesn't have a big, strong castle that can be easily defended with a small number of troops, so rather than leave her in a potentially precarious position, I decided to bring her along."

Knowing this could be a delicate area for any father, and not sure if he really wanted the answer to the question he was about to ask, Kal-El went ahead and asked anyway. "Not that it's any of my business, but why _isn't_ she married? I could try to list her qualities, but I'm sure you know them better than I do. She has to have more suitors than just about any young woman in the kingdom."

Dax-Ur eyed Kal-El for a moment, evaluating just what to say. "My daughter _has_ had a number of suitors, several of which were more than acceptable…but before I could accept someone for Ingrid, I was requested to wait."

Knowing he was going to regret asking, Kal-El did it anyway. "_Who_ asked?"

"Your lady mother, Queen Lara."


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Preparations

While the lower ranked officers were finding places for Kal-El's Borussian troops to sleep, Kal-El, his captain-general, and Bruce were joining Dax-Ur and his senior officers to work on the integration of the Borussian troops into the larger army.

The officers all sat down around a small table that was covered with a map of the kingdom, and had little pins to mark the approximate positions of major bodies of troops. Kal could see the strategic position at a glance, supposing the pins were correctly placed anyway, and he knew a lot depended on Zod. Had he tried to intercept Kal and his reinforcing troops? Had he stayed in place? Dax-Ur had sent a full 500 light cavalry to scout along Kal-El's trail and discover the answers.

While they waited for that vital information, Kal-El had a brief and very private conversation with Dax-Ur outside the command tent. "I'm officially the overall commander here, Dax, but the only orders I intend to give are very general ones about where we are going or what targets are our priorities. When it comes to battles and such, you will still be the one in charge. You have the knowledge and experience to make the best use of our troops. My captain-general, Kem-An, can be your second-in-command in those instances."

"Okay, I can deal with that. You set the agenda and I decide how we carry that out."

Dax was surprised by the prince's willingness to relinquish command, but seeing that kind of wisdom made him more interested than ever in having his daughter marry into the royal family.

When the two men rejoined the rest of the senior officers inside the command tent, Dax-Ur started things off. "Your Highness, just how many troops did you bring with you?"

"Roughly 13,000," Kal-El replied. "About 2,200 cavalry and the rest infantry. Those are primarily pikemen and archers. Plus we brought our own supply train. Enough salted beef, salted pork, and hardtack to last us a couple of months."

"Good. That gives us close to 40,000 men. Still not enough to take on Zod head-to-head, but enough that a battle wouldn't be the end of us. And seeing the number of bodies in camp increase by fifty or so percent will raise the spirits of everyone here…including mine."

"How many men does Zod have at last report?" Kem-An asked.

"Mmm…between 45,000 and 50,000, though we seem to equal his number of cavalry. But if you add in the King's Legion, his numbers could rise to as much as 70,000." Dax-Ur eyed his prince. "Do you have any word of where your parents are? If we could get them here, we should be able to get the King's Legion to switch sides. That would give us the edge in numbers, and maybe allow us to end the war."

"We _think _either my parents or my sister are holed up in Salzerei's impregnable castle." Kal-El gestured to Bruce. "Sir Bruce and I estimated 5,000 troops encircling the castle. They must be Zod's men since 5,000 is much less than the number of men Salzerei can put in the field, and it's much more than is needed to defend that castle from anything less than a full-scale assault by 50,000 battle-hardened troops."

"If those are Zod's men," Dax-Ur replied, "then we can reduce the numbers he has in front of us by 5,000, down to a maximum of 65,000...but then we are faced with the question: where the Hell are the Duke of Salzerei's men. He has almost 10,000 of his own, men that we desperately need."

No one knew. No one had even heard a rumor. They figured the duke's captain-general had to be leading those troops this way, but since Salzerei's men started from much farther south than Kal-El's had, they would have had to come around Zod from the other direction and been blocked from reaching Dax-Ur by Zod's positioning. Having reached that conclusion, Kal-El and Dax-Ur had to wait for word from the scouts before making any final plans.

Once word reached them that Zod's men had indeed moved north to try to intercept the Borussian army, Dax decided to have the army on the road by dawn, marching away from Zod, so they could get out of an area they had largely picked clean of supplies.

Kal-El's one order to Dax-Ur was that their destination was Roskilde, where he intended for them to last out the winter in relative comfort.

"Roskilde? What the Hell is in Roskilde? Who's the baron there? Is he loyal?"

"The Baron of Roskilde is Lord Lewis Lang. As for his loyalty, I can vouch for it as being of the highest quality. My father thinks so also, as I was sent to hide out with his family before Zod made his move." Hearing all that made Dax-Ur nod. If the royal family trusted the man so completely, that was good enough for him. "And as for what's there, the Baron has been working since the day I left his family to build and supply a base large enough to handle our needs for the coming winter. As Zod's men will be hundreds of miles from any supplies, he will have to retreat for the winter which will allow me to spend that time going from lord to lord, drumming up support for a spring offensive to end the rebellion."

Once on the road, Dax-Ur drove the army relentlessly onward. For the prince's plan to work, they had to get _to _and _through_ the last mountain pass on the route to Roskilde before Zod caught up with them. If they succeeded, they could easily hold the pass and force Zod to withdraw, just as the prince envisioned. If they did _not_ succeed, Zod would be able to force at least one major battle before the weather caused an end to the fighting for the year.

Dru-Zod chased Dax-Ur across half the kingdom. One positive was that the Duke of Salzerei's army joined up with Kal-El and Dax-Ur halfway through the chase, driving their army up toward 50,000 men in size.

Another positive was that since he was with the army, and they didn't have Zod in between them and the supply base at Roskilde, Kal-El was able to establish a much quicker route of communications by sending all official and unofficial correspondence directly to Roskilde by army courier. Once the messages reached Roskilde, Kal-El figured Lord Lang could send his personal messages onto Lana in the manor outside Varshova, and in turn, _finally_ allow her to send replies to him.

Not long after the Duke of Salzerei's men joined up, Kal-El started making some private calculations. He knew roughly how fast they were traveling, but also knew how fast Zod was moving in their wake. And when he calculated the remaining distances involved for all parties, he came to the sickening conclusion that they would _not_ be able to clear that final pass before Zod caught them.

With 50,000 troops available, Kal-El liked their chances, if only they were somehow able to get the King's Legion to realize they were fighting against the king's forces and not fighting to defend the king from some kind of attack. They just had too much loyalty toward Zod. With the King's Legion on Zod's side, the count was 65,000 to 50,000 in favor of Zod. If they got the Legion to switch sides to where they belonged, the count became 70,000 to 45,000 in favor of Kal-El.

Exasperated, Kal-El thought, _Even if I could just get the Legion to back off and not fight for either side in the battle, because they weren't sure which side was right, the count would still be 50,000 to 45,000 in favor of us._

Realizing that there would be at least one major battle before winter, Kal-El dug into his bag of tricks and dictated a letter to one of his aides-de-camp. In the letter, Kal-El commanded Lord Lang to send letters to all the local nobles who were known to support the royal family. In those letters, Lewis was to order them to bring their individual armies with all due haste and meet at Roskilde.

To make sure the nobles knew Lewis spoke with royal authority, Kal-El sent his royal signet with the letter for Lewis to use to seal each of his letters.

Once the nobles reached Roskilde, they would all be under the overall command of the crown prince's chosen representative, for the march over the mountain pass to join up with Kal-El's army.

Kal-El then retired to his tent to finish the love letter to Lana that he had been writing for the past several days during his few moments of peace.

At the last moment before the courier left, Kal-El got another idea and had a servant dig up the backup royal standard from his baggage and sent it to Lord Lang along with the signet ring. He hoped seeing Lewis under the royal standard would reinforce his position as the commander of this expedition in the minds of the other lords, so they would give him as little trouble as possible.

Having done what he could, Kal-El sent the courier on his way and then went to let Dax-Ur know what he had concluded about their march and the steps he had taken to help them. Once he began to talk with Dax-Ur, Kal-El quickly learned the commander had been having the same worries for a few days. Even stinging Zod's advance troops with a couple of well-planned rearguard ambushes did little to slow the pace of their advance.

"How many troops do you think Baron Lang will be able to drum up with his letter?"

Kal-El took in a deep breath and let it out in a rush as he thought. "I don't know…maybe 8,000. No more than 10,000 for sure. Those small-minded skinflints will hoard more of their forces than their castles need for short-term defense."

And beyond his duties to the army, and the kingdom it defended, Kal-El had something else to deal with every day: Ingrid. She was demure, intelligent, discreet…Kal-El thought that if he had met this more mature version of her before he had left home, he might very well have fallen in love with her.

But now that he had Lana, Ingrid had no chance.

Still, he was well aware of her many political connections, especially her _familial _connection to his army's commander, Dax-Ur, and he had no wish to irritate her and in the process offend a man who was doing so much for his family.

So after late evening staff conferences in the command tent, Kal-El was sure to find Ingrid waiting for him, and they'd take an aimless walk through the camp. Each conversation made him more sure she would make a wonderful wife and partner for someone…maybe he could get Harry to come back and make a concerted effort at winning her father's approval…but as much as he enjoyed her attentions, she would never be the right one for him. Lana had set a standard no other woman could hope to match. But since it was possible he could be _ordered_ to marry Ingrid for the good of the kingdom, he kept his thoughts about her suitability for himself…or lack thereof…strictly to himself.

And as Kal-El's army continued to march, with Dru-Zod's rebels chasing them, Kal-El's set of couriered messages finally reached Roskilde. Kal-El was expecting Lord Lang to be there overseeing the supply base, but Lady Lana was the one who received the message pouch and a soft, canvas-wrapped bundle. In the message pouch, she found three sealed letters.

The first letter was for her father. It was a rather curious delivery, as it was rather heavy for a letter, and because the courier said the canvas-wrapped bundle belonged with this letter. The handwriting on the address wasn't something Lana recognized. She would have to open the letter and read it before sending it on, just in case it contained any orders for the supply base instead of specific orders for her father.

The second sealed letter was for her, this one addressed in Clark's elegant handwriting. Seeing another letter from him made Lana giddy with excitement. As much as she wanted to read that letter right now, though, she knew she'd have to wait until business was done for the evening.

The last letter, curiously enough, was for Lois of all people, and was addressed in a painfully cramped writing style that seemed to indicate a self-taught writer who rarely practiced what he had learned. Wondering what could be inside, and from whom, Lana set that letter aside to be sent on to Varshova.

Lana lit a couple of extra candles at her desk for better reading light and examined the elegant seal on the letter for her father. Made of a white sealing wax that was shot through with flecks of gold, Lana could clearly make out the dragon's head sigil that had been used to seal the letter closed. She then took her letter opener, heated its blade in the flame of one of her candles, and deftly worked the hot blade under the seal, to open the letter while keeping the seal intact.

When the letter fell open, a heavy gold ring fell out of it and landed on her desk with a clatter. Picking it up, she gasped with amazement when she realized it had to be a royal signet, as the dragon's head on the ring was the same as the one on the letter.

Lana was suddenly afraid as she wondered what had happened to cause the crown prince to send this, essentially giving her father royal authority, but at the same time, she found her curiosity had increased. She began to read the letter, and quickly found the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.

_A major battle, _Lana thought as she read, _likely on the other side of the mountain range…desperate for more troops. Oh, Clark! Be smart. Be safe. _She just knew her Clark would be right in the midst of the fighting, determined to fight as hard as anyone else, even if he had forgiven her for her hasty accusations.

Lana knew she would get little sleep tonight. This letter was intended for the commander of the supply base, who the crown prince assumed would be her father, but instead it was her. First, she wrote a letter to her father and prepared it to go out to Varshova along with Lois' letter first thing in the morning. It would likely reach her father far too late for him to be of any use, but she had to try.

Then, Lana summoned her steward from his quarters, and the two of them worked together on deciding exactly which local nobles were loyal and were close enough to Roskilde to get here in time. They then wrote several versions of a letter to the nobles, until they created one they liked. This letter was an order to those nobles to present themselves, and their armies, in Roskilde by such and such a date. They were only to be allowed to leave enough troops at home to protect their castles. The rest had to come to Roskilde.

After that, Lana and her steward each wrote out six copies of the order. Lana then signed all twelve letters with her father's name, as she was acting as his representative, before affixing both the royal seal and her father's seal to each letter. Once all twelve letters were ready to be sent out at first light, Lana sat back and wondered how she'd gotten caught up in all this.

The steward just stood there, appraising the calm way the young Lady Lana had handled this unexpected duty. When he finally spoke, what he said surprised Lana even more than receiving that letter from the crown prince. "I think, my lady, that in two to three weeks time, you will command a larger army than any other woman in the history of our kingdom. You are, after all, the king's representative, until such time as your father arrives from Varshova…and we both know that letter you sent won't reach him in time."

"Me a commander…the one thing I _haven't_ trained for." Lana wasn't sure whether she wanted to run screaming or just quit, but being a Lang, she knew she'd stay and face this new responsibility. "That makes me…what? Lady General Lana Lang?"

"Something like that, milady. You will have your captain-general to lean on. He will give you lots of practical advice, but the orders will have to be seen as coming from you."

Wanting to distract herself from those thoughts, Lana reached over to the canvas-wrapped package and opened it. Inside was a sheet of white silk. Asking for the steward's help in opening the silk sheet all the way, they both saw it was a royal standard, a flag that announced the presence of royal forces.

Seeing that flag hammered home the point made by the letter from the prince, that Lana was now working directly under the command of the royal family, and her thoughts went back to the opening line of the prince's letter, the same line she had used to start her letters to the other nobles: 'In the name of the king…'

She realized that from now on, everything she did was in the name of the king. Before, she'd been able to convince herself that she was just helping her father. Not now. Now, she was part of something more, something _greater,_ than just her father's duty and her wish to do whatever she could to help the prince so that her Clark might be able to come home safely.

'In the name of the king.'

What an awesome responsibility.

Lana didn't know if she was up to it, but having watched her and worked with her since her return from Varshova, the steward knew she was ready.

"You can do this, milady, you _can." _

Lana smiled uncertainly, wishing she was as confident as the steward was, as she took her letter from Clark and headed to bed. She knew that when the morning came, she would have to go back to all the duties that had been placed upon her by her father, and now by the prince, but for the next hour or more, she just wanted to be a normal girl, read how much her beloved loved her, and dream of their life together.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Lana Takes Charge

Lana's various messengers were long gone by the time she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and called her maids in to get her ready for another day out in the cold. She'd read Clark's letter over and over last night before drifting off to sleep, which dug even further into the precious few hours she had allotted for sleep, but quite frankly, she didn't care. This letter had included another of those Cipangan haikus, and she had already committed every word to heart.

My happiness is

Sharing a rose-streaked sunset

With the one I love

The haiku was such a simple form of poetry, and yet difficult due to the limited number of syllables allowed in each line. She knew he had to be as busy as she was, so even receiving a poem like this was very precious to her.

By the time the maids had Lana ready to go downstairs and eat breakfast with her steward and castellan, she had gone over the contents of her letter from Clark several more times, and had a huge grin plastered from ear to ear. No one who saw Lady Lana that morning had to be told if she had received a missive from Sir Clark the night before. The spring in her step and the brightness of her smile were all anyone needed to see to know. Even some of the villagers were starting to learn that their lady had a beau.

Over the next couple of weeks, Lana kept busy with her work with the seemingly never-ending flow of supplies, but in her mind she was listening for the tramp of an approaching army. She had no way of knowing how many of the lords she had written to would honor the royal order to mobilize their armies, but once the date set forth in the letters came, she was leading whatever troops were on hand over that mountain pass, whether it was just her father's small army or a much larger force.

She still had time though; that date was nearly a week away.

The next day, the first lord and his army came marching up to Roskilde. Lana's captain-general sent officers to direct the new men into their pre-selected campsite and to bring the lord to the supply base for a preliminary meeting with Lady Lana. Just in case this lord was a hard case, the captain-general also sent for the steward and castellan to come down to the base, but stay out of the way unless Lana needed them.

The lord in question was the Count of Albemarle. The good news was that he was the contacted lord who'd had the farthest to come and yet he had shown up first. That indicated an eagerness on his part and a readiness amongst his troops that boded well for the force Lana planned on leading east in five more days.

The problem was, the Count of Albemarle was expected to be the most difficult lord on the list to convince. First off, as a count, he outranked Lana's father and most likely wouldn't be happy about being placed under Lewis' command. Secondly, he was even _less_ likely to approve of being placed under the command of a woman. Finally, combining the two by putting the count under the command of a woman whose family was of a lower rank than his family was a recipe for disaster.

Lana couldn't wear the prince's signet ring on any of her fingers, even her thumb was too slender, so she had it around her neck on a very thick gold chain…the biggest one she owned. Still, Lana didn't want to hammer anyone with her symbol of authority; she hoped to convince them with logic. She planned to show them the letter she had received from the prince authorizing her father to gather and command the forces coming to Roskilde, and then she'd give them personal tours of the huge operation she had built from the ground up. When they wondered where the money had come from for such a base, she would point out the obvious: that her family couldn't _hope_ to pay for something like this, so their money must have come from the crown.

If they still wobbled, she would produce the letters her father had sent to the castellan, the steward, and the captain-general placing them under her command until such time as he rescinded the order or replaced her himself.

The idea was that the lords would come to the conclusion that this little woman was indeed the king's representative. Only if the lords then failed to acknowledge her would Lana pull the heavy gold signet ring from its hiding place between her breasts as the final proof of her authority.

As the count entered Lana's small office just inside the main entrance to the supply base, she stood and curtseyed for the man who outranked her and waited for his brief bow in reply before straightening back up.

"Which one of Roskilde's daughters are you, Girl?" the count asked. His manner was as brusque as the snow white handlebar mustache on his otherwise immaculately shaven face. Lana had expected the count to be difficult, and set about converting him to her side.

"I am Lana Elizabeth, his second, your Lordship."

The count was dressed in his field dress uniform consisting of a sky blue jacket with royal blue trim, royal blue knee breeches with a wide red stripe down the outside seam on each leg, and black knee boots. Over the coat, the old man wore a white leather sword belt from which hung a leather-wrapped wooden scabbard that held a sword with an ornate but well-worn handle.

To Lana's eyes, the count was sixty-five years old at the very least, and rumor had it he was thrice-widowed and on the lookout for wife number four. The very thought made her shudder.

"Your captain-general has my army setting up its camp right now," the count said, "but he directed me to this building to meet my _commander _for this operation, and yet, when I get here, all I find is you." Looking around the room, the count smacked his leather gauntlets against his thigh, and asked, "Where the Hell _is_ Lewis? If I have to obey the boy, the least he could do is not keep me waiting all day."

"As your commander, Lord Howland, my father is not obliged to bend his schedule to yours." Lana was a bit more frosty in her manner of speech than she had intended. "As his subordinate, _you_ are here to wait upon _his_ leisure."

Taken aback by the cold words and colder glare coming from this rather tiny young woman, Lord Howland looked at Lana more closely, and asked, "Just how old are you, my dear?"

"My age is_ not_ the subject at hand. What _is_ up for discussion is you and your willingness to follow the chain of command as established by the crown prince and his designated commanders, such as my father."

Feeling that his loyalty had been called into question, the old count drew himself up to full attention and replied, "I have never, _ever,_ refused or disobeyed an order from a lawful superior. To suggest otherwise is an affront to the honor of my house."

"Then you won't have any difficulty obeying my commands, I'm quite sure."

"_Your_ commands?" The count was flabbergasted and beginning to get angry. "I take it you've deluded yourself into believing that the crown prince, who has never _once_ in his life come within a hundred miles of this backwater shithole, has chosen the second _daughter_ of one of the most obscure noble families in the kingdom to take command of this operation. Tell me why I should believe any of that horseshit."

"He _didn't_ choose me," Lana admitted. "He chose my father. We had left the kingdom and were living in a manor just outside of Varshova when my father received a communication that ordered him to begin assembling the supply base you're standing in and gave him access to the financial resources to build the base and to purchase the needed supplies. If you paid _any_ attention to the base as you rode up here today, you'd have to know my family could never afford such a construction project.

"Father decided to stay in Varshova with my sisters so he could purchase the supplies and organize the wagon trains. He sent me here to take charge of the operations on this end, including building the base, and now, gathering this army and getting it to the crown prince."

Since the count had already accepted Lord Lang's position as his commander for this operation, Lana left the letter from the prince in her belt pouch. But seeing as her explanation centered on her contention that her father had delegated his authority to her until he said otherwise, she chose this moment to pull from her belt pouch the letters he'd sent to his chief subordinates in Roskilde that put them under her command, and showed them to the count.

Lord Howland read each of the letters twice before handing them back to Lana. "I seem to be in error here," the crusty old man admitted. "I'll not pretend to be happy with this arrangement, not by a long shot, but nowhere in my training was my happiness required when it came to commands…just my obedience."

Lord Howland, the Count of Albemarle, knelt on one knee and bowed low in a courtly, sweeping gesture from days gone by. Still on that on one knee before Lana, he said, "I humbly beg your forgiveness, Lady Lana. I, and my 3,000 troops, are at your disposal for however long the crown prince requires them to be so."

Now that the count had capitulated, Lana used a smidgen of her considerable charm to try and ease the old man's ego. "Thank you, my Lord. Please rise. You are forgiven." Lana took the letters, refolded them, and placed them back into her belt pouch. As she took the seat behind her somewhat cluttered work desk, she gestured for the count to take one of the chairs opposite her. "I _am_ the one in charge here, at least nominally, but most of the decisions regarding the army itself will be made by professional soldiers. I'll just decide when and where, and they'll decide how. For now I'm leaning on my father's captain-general, but well-considered advice from any of my senior officers will always be welcome."

"Thank you, milady."

Lana drummed the fingertips of one hand on the top of her teak desk. "Three-thousand, eh? That puts us up to more than four thousand already."

"How many more do you plan on arriving before we march?" Lord Howland asked.

"Mmm…we _expect_ at least 10,000. Especially now that you're here." She shrugged her shoulders, as if what she had to say next was unimportant. "If everyone I wrote to comes with his maximum force, then we may get as many as 17,000. But our plans are for the smaller number, with adjustments possible _if_ more arrive."

Lord Howland was somewhat mollified by Lana's stated willingness to listen to advice; to him, that meant she knew her weaknesses and was more than willing to get help with the things she did not know. He was also pleased when he heard how practical she was being about the size of the force she expected to raise. That indicated to him that someone levelheaded was in charge of this operation, another major plus.

_This feisty little woman might work out after all, _Lord Howland mused.

Over the next four days, other nobles and their small armies poured into Roskilde. During that time, Lana found that crusty old Lord Howland was her best ally when it came to getting the rest of the nobles to accept her as their commander. If they raised any objections, the old count always seemed to be on hand to glare at them for challenging her authority.

Finally, it was departure day. Lana had only expected 10,000 men and had hoped for as many as 17,000, but was more than happy to have ended up with almost 15,000 under her command. Eight different nobles had shown up, and while some maybe hadn't brought as many men as they could have, some of them had neighbors who were fairly well-known as rebel sympathizers, which was something the loyalists had to guard against.

Lana's captain-general had sent her light cavalry up the pass the day before to make sure the way was clear, and to make contact with the prince's forces which, according to schedule, should be marching down the wide valley on the other side of the mountain range right now. The rest of the army started marching early, with the leading elements well into the pass by the time the first streaks of light lit the eastern sky.

The good thing about this particular pass, for this operation anyway, was that on the far side of the mountains, the pass opened up very wide just before making its final descent to the valley floor. That would allow Lana's hastily thrown together army a chance to gather itself as a unit, and if they kept to her timetable, allow them at least one day to rest before being called on by the prince.

The height of the wide spot in the pass should also prevent Zod's forces from seeing Lana's reinforcements until they started the descent to the valley floor. To protect that surprise advantage for the prince's use, Lana strictly forbid any campfires of any sort once they reached the gathering spot. Even though there likely wasn't much firewood in the pass, she didn't want to risk giving away their position with the smoke from their fires.

Once Lana's army reached their designated spot, all she had to was sit and wait. Her light cavalry should have made contact with the prince by now, so she was waiting to receive his orders for the battle, which could start as soon as the next day.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Final Plans

While Lana was dealing with recalcitrant nobles, Kal-El and Dax-Ur had been shepherding their army down the length of that valley in a desperate attempt at staying ahead of Zod's hard-charging army. They knew a battle was inevitable, but wanted to get to the bottom end of the valley so Lord Lang's reinforcements would be available to even things up as much as possible.

Kal-El's major goal for this battle, at present, was to survive it with his army intact, and wound Zod's army enough that the loyalists would then be able to retreat over the mountain pass while Zod's forces reorganized.

Zod's hope was to press his present advantage, in both quantity and quality of troops, and turn it into an overwhelming advantage in a battle that could see the end of the loyalist army and quite possibly the death of the crown prince. He, too, knew that winter was fast approaching and so he pushed his forces to close up on Kal-El's army and force it to turn and fight, but every time he pushed his cavalry ahead, Kal-El's rearguard sent it back bloodied.

Zod was getting frustrated, but every time he considered using his remaining Kryptonians to race ahead of Kal-El's forces and bring them to a halt, he thought back to the six men he'd lost while chasing the king and queen, and then chose to continue with his current course of action. Even though he couldn't _catch_ Kal-El's army, he could read a map as well as anyone, and knew, just like Kal-El and Dax-Ur knew, they would have to turn and face him before they could hope to go through the one pass at the end of the valley.

Every morning, Dax-Ur had scouts out well in front of the army, looking for any sign of Lord Lang and his reinforcements. The earlier they learned of Lord Lang's appraoch, the earlier he and Kal-El could finalize their plans for the upcoming battle. Their army made it half way down the valley before they finally made contact with Lana's light cavalry scouts. As soon as the four-man patrol was identified as being from the Baron of Roskilde's army, they were taken to meet the prince and the duke on the march.

Kal-El and Dax-Ur rode close to the front of the main body. With 50,000 men now, after the addition of the Duke of Salzerei's 10,000 not too long ago, the length of the army on the march, not counting their wagons of supplies, was nearly twenty miles, so they had placed the newly arriving duke in charge of the all-important rear guard.

When Lana's men reached Kal-El and Dax-Ur, all four saluted and held their salutes until the prince and the duke returned them.

"What news do you have for us?" Dax-Ur asked. He easily masked the urgency that he was feeling from the men facing him, but Kal-El knew it was there.

In an effort at avoiding miscommunication, Lana had written out multiple copies of what she wanted to tell to the prince. So the leader of this four-man patrol pulled a set of papers out of one of his saddlebags and handed the lot over to an aide, who took the mess to the duke.

"The top sheet, your grace, lists the composition of Lady Lana's forces, and the rest…" Kal-El had been listening, but not paying close attention to Lord Lang's scout, until he heard the magic words: 'Lady Lana.' He then looked sharply at the man, who was not much older than he himself, and focused intensely on each word said.

When the brief explanation was over, and Dax-Ur was quietly reading the documents as he rode, Kal-El pulled the man out of the line of march and said in a low but very sharp voice, "What did you mean about the army belonging to Lady Lana? Isn't her lord father in charge?"

"No, your Highness, he is not." With a dangerous look in his eyes, Kal-El ordered the man to explain. "Lord Lang stayed behind in Krakovia to make the contracts for supplies and to arrange the seemingly endless wagon trains that were needed to deliver the supplies to the forward supply base.

"Since he couldn't be two places at once, Lord Lang chose Lady Lana to come home and head up the organization, construction, and stocking of the base. And when your letter arrived ordering the marshalling of the local loyal nobles, she took _that_ job for herself as well, as there was no time to send off to distant Varshova to recall her father."

Wincing at the thought of just how few troops had answered her call, and _stayed_ with her once they realized a woman was in charge, Kal asked the man what the report said.

"Nearly 15,000 men in all, your Highness."

Kal-El nearly choked as he remembered his prediction of Lord Lang not being able to get more than 10,000, and then he wondered at Lana's powers of persuasion. How she had managed to overcome the sexist predilections of the Alemanni nobility, he couldn't possibly imagine. That she had done it though, was an indisputable fact.

_What a woman! _Kal thought._ And to think that she wants to marry me!_ _Her father, on the other hand, is likely to feel the rough side of my tongue for putting her in such a spot in the first place._

"So who's in command now that the army is on the move?" Kal-El asked. The answer he received floored him.

"Lady Lana retains the overall command, your Highness, though she seems to lean on the advice of select commanders. She is encamped with the main body, which is hidden in the pass."

_That stupid…_Kal-El suddenly wanted to tug his hair out. _I swear before God my first act upon seeing her face-to-face will be to kiss her like she's never dreamed of being kissed before and then my second will be to let her know, in no uncertain terms, she has no business being within ten miles of a battlefield._

Kal-El was shaken out of his ruminations when the hesitant young man spoke up. "Your Highness? Lady Lana also sent out a personal letter with each scouting party. It was to be hand-delivered to a young knight in your personal army. A man by the name of Sir Clark of Kent."

Looking up from his dark thoughts, Kal-El asked, "She did?"

"Yes, Sire. If you would be so kind as to direct me to him once you are done with me…" Kal-El just held out his hand and ordered the man to hand him the letter intended for Sir Clark.

"But…but Sire…" the man spluttered. He intended to say Lady Lana's orders had been very exact to his commander, and from his commander to him, on the subject of delivering the letter. Those thoughts died a painless death when he realized just how far above Lady Lana the prince was. He instantly fished into his saddlebag, came out with the letter, and handed it over to Kal-El.

Once Kal-El had the letter in his hand, he dismissed the soldier to return to his patrol, but told him not to return to Lady Lana's forces until Lord General Dax-Ur had preliminary orders for him to carry back to her.

Just before the young soldier rode off, Kal-El stopped him, and added, "Tell no one what I asked you about. Lie to them if necessary, but make sure the lie is a simple one that can be repeated over and over." Kal turned in his saddle to more fully face the soldier, and narrowed his eyes. "Should I ever learn you have been so careless as to disregard this direct order, you'd better hope you are already dead, for it will be the only way for you to escape my wrath."

Kal-El was a bit worried now. He realized he should never have stopped the messenger just to ask about Lana, as it indicated a familiarity with her, and worse, an interest in her. Anyone learning that the prince had made intense inquiries about Lady Lana might try to use that information.

Once the soldier left his presence, Kal-El had to fight for control to keep from riding off and reading that letter right now. Having the letter in his hand was like having _her_ hand in his, pressing against his flesh lightly, in a way that let him know he belonged to her.

Quietly turning and placing the letter securely in one of his own saddlebags, Kal-El then rode off to catch up with Dax-Ur. When he found the duke, he had pulled out of the line of march and was dictating a letter to an aide-de-camp who was sitting on the ground and using a portable camp desk to write on.

"…and under no circumstances are your forces to leave their hidden position in the pass until the crown prince, or I, tell you to…"

Kal listened with one ear as Dax-Ur completed his missive. The rest of his attention was on Sir Bruce and Lady Ingrid, who were riding up at this very moment. Bruce had taken it upon himself, at Kal-El's pre-dawn insistence, to entertain the lady for the day while the two commanders rode together. Kal-El _liked_ the lady well enough, but her near-continuous presence had finally begun getting on his nerves.

When Lady Ingrid decided to turn and wait for her father and Kal-El to finish what they were doing, so she could ride along with them, Kal-El half smiled when he saw how Bruce positioned himself so he was between Ingrid and himself.

The march continued that day until nightfall, and then people were scurrying around to set up camp and post guards all around it. After a hurried meal, Kal-El and Dax-Ur gathered with their senior officers to plan a strategy that made use of the presence of Lana's 15,000 troops.

"Lady Lang's remarkable troop recruitment has given us a rough numerical equality with Zod," Dax-Ur said. "Furthermore, her troops are hidden from Dru-Zod's view, unless he decides to risk some of his Kryptonians on a scouting flight. We may want a few of our own Kryptonians to be on standby just in case he does take the risk. We may not be able to prevent them from getting a look, but we should be able to prevent them from returning with whatever they learn.

"While some may want us to have the reinforcements join us so we can line up and go toe to toe with Zod, Prince Kal-El and I have another idea. It's risky, but if successful, we may win the war _before _winter."

"What happens if it fails?" asked a very sober-minded Duke of Salzerei. He was tired, having just ridden in from his position at the rear of the army, and not in the mood for crackbrained ideas.

"If it fails, and fails _badly, _we could end the war in Zod's favor before winter. If we suffer a garden variety failure, we will likely have wounded them enough to retire over the mountain pass and take up winter quarters right next to what sounds like a bountiful supply base."

The first plan, the one where they lined up and went toe-to-toe with Zod involved bringing Lana's troops down to the valley floor and then forming the combined army into a semi-circular line that covered their line of retreat up the pass. In this instance, the battle would be a slugfest, and if they survived it bloodied but in one piece, the remaining troops on Kal-El's side would retreat up the pass and to safety while Zod's men lick their wounds and regroup.

The second plan, the risky one that could win or lose the war in one fell swoop, involved leaving Lana's troops where they were and lining up straight across the valley floor along a low rise. This would put their escape route behind the left end of the line and provide them with slightly better defensive terrain.

This plan would be a trap for Zod and his commanders. It counts on three things to be successful: one, that Lana's troops remained undetected by Zod until it was time for them to attack; two, that choosing to use a traditional linear formation along slightly better ground, while forgoing the need to protect their line of retreat would make Zod believe that the inexperienced Kal-El was in full command and had overruled the likely advice from his more experienced advisors; three, that Zod would attack with his best troops on the far left of Kal-El's defensive line, as he tried to make use of his perceived edge in numbers (not knowing Lana's 15,000 were waiting just above them in the pass) to drive Kal-El's men back and cut the loyalist army off from their only way out of the valley.

Once that was accomplished, Dru-Zod would drive Kal-El's troops south, leaving the pass unguarded and behind them. At that point, a signal would be given, and Lana's troops would come out of hiding and storm down onto the unprotected right rear of Zod's formation.

Done right, this should lead to a rapid collapse of the right wing of Zod's army, followed in quick succession by either a piecemeal collapse of the entire line as Lana's troops work their way from west to east, or a general retreat as soon as Zod's men see they have been outflanked and are minutes from destruction.

Done wrong, especially with respect to timing, and Lana's troops could move too early, keeping them from having full effect, or could move too late and find themselves facing a tired but victorious detachment from Zod's army, as the rest of them finish off the rest of Kal-El's army.

The final orders to Lady Lana were dictated by Kal-El to one of his aides. In them, she was cautioned against watching the battle, as she would feel the need to send in her troops too early, since it would look like things were going poorly no matter how well things were actually going due to the way things were planned.

Her army's role in the next day's happenings were explained to her, and at the last, she herself was strictly ordered to come no farther than the top of the last ridge that led down to the valley floor. Any closer than that and her commanders were ordered to arrest her and send her to the rear until the end of the battle for her own safety.

Once the orders to Lana were on their way and Kal-El's official duties were done for the day, he retired to the expansive tent he shared with Bruce, which was made of alternating green and gold silk panels and floored with numerous rugs and thickly furred animal skins, and settled in to read his first letter from Lana. Oh how he hoped she was well and had received his letters to her.

He spent some time examining the elegant script of the address, imagining her hand holding a gold-nibbed pen as she poured out her heart to him, one letter at a time. He could already detect a faint whiff of her favorite perfume, but was busy imagining her tears staining the thick paper as she wrote. Only when he couldn't wait any longer did Kal-El give in and pop open the wax seal with a gold and ivory letter opener.

My love,

I love you with a passion that is as fierce as it is unending. I know your army is drawing close to my home, and if things go well, we will have the winter together in Roskilde. Oh how I long for that! How I long to be by your side once more, to revel in the sound of your voice, the touch of your hand, and the sweet taste of your lips.

I've received many missives from you during the course of our seemingly eternal separation. You cannot know how those letters and the love they contain have sustained me through the long, cold nights when I felt most alone. They were like having the smallest portion of you at my side, which I could reach out and touch whenever I needed you. Which, I don't mind admitting, was very nearly every single day.

I love you, Clark. I feel our love more strongly with each passing day. Sometimes it affects me so much that I just want to find your parents and shake them by the neck while I scream at them as I try to explain how much being away from you hurts and how much you and I are meant to be together. I know that sounds silly, but it's true. I don't know what I will do if your parents refuse to allow us to marry.

I have to close the letter now, as ink is at somewhat of a premium in the castle these days, since all of the merchants who come through Roskilde seem to have all of their goods purchased by various lords from the vast army encampment before they can even make it up to the castle. It seems I have to do without, to keep the lords of this army happy.

Your one true love,

Lana

The inside address had been simple, as if there could be no possible doubt about who was meant by those two simple words. The rest of the letter had been short, but packed with love, and Kal-El read it twice more, each time imagining Lana's voice speaking each word.

Bruce had lain in his camp bed and looked anywhere other than at Kal-El while the man was reading the letter from his girlfriend. It wasn't until Kal-El refolded the letter and put it away in the rosewood box that contained his writing implements, that Bruce finally rolled over on his bed and spoke.

"Is she well?"

"Mmm-hmm," Kal-El said, as he clicked closed the lock on his portable writing desk. "And if she is anything _other_ than well after tomorrow's battle, the person who was _supposedly_ in charge of her safety, namely her father, will have some uncomfortable questions to answer."


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The Battle Begins

As dawn came peeking over the mountains to the east of the valley, both Kal-El and Lana had been up and dressed for some time. Both were nervous, and for the same reason: each was facing his or her very first major battle. The difference, of course, was Lana had never expected to see a battle in her lifetime, while Kal-El had been training for this moment almost his entire life.

With today being the big day, Kal-El was in his field dress uniform, a slightly less fancy version of the full dress green and gold uniform he had worn to the Harvest Ball. But as he was now dressed as the Duke of Borussia instead of as a simple lieutenant, his uniform more than made up for a lack of spit and polish with a crushing tidal wave of gold brocade

Instead of a little gold brocade on the cuffs, he had looping curls of the stuff running up past his elbows, and as for his chest, it was so thickly covered with the gold brocade, that the green of his coat was only occasionally visible. And as for the short, stiff jacket collar, it was a solid green field marred only by twin gold-plated enamel pins, one per side, that showed an eagle stooping to the attack. It was a pin that only the duke got to wear. His knee breeches were a spotless white, and his valet had his black boots gleaming in the subdued candlelight of the tent.

After strapping on his white leather sword belt, and thick white leather gauntlets, the only thing he had left was a steel breastplate and backplate. He laughed silently as his valet placed the heavy steel on him, both because it completely covered up the ridiculous gold brocade on his chest, and because the fluted and gilded breastplate was every bit as ornate as the coat beneath it. Once both breastplate and backplate were in place, they were fastened together with thick leather straps at the shoulder, under the arms, and at the waist.

Kal-El didn't really _need_ the armor, not unless he screwed up and got within arrow range of the enemy anyway, but he wore it just in case. He thought he really should be dressed in the white and gold of the royal family, but he didn't have access to any of his things from the palace, which included his uniforms and specially fitted armor.

Just before he left his tent in search of his horse, which should be saddled and ready by now, Kal-El went to his nightstand and picked up the small, thin flat box that contained his training amulet. He had carried it on his person every day since he had used his powers to save Lana, and he wasn't about to leave it laying around now. Besides, he had an idea, call it intuition, that he was going to need that amulet today.

A few miles away in the mountain pass, Lana's dressing was quite a bit different. Her maids had her in a sober gray dress with divided skirts, and she was headed for her horse, when a small delegation of her lords came to visit in the predawn hours.

"To what do I owe this signal honor, gentlemen?" Lana asked.

"Some of us spent last night discussing your _unique_ situation as relates to today's mmm…_festivities," _one lord said mildly.

Lana stopped just short of her mounting block and turned to greet the men. "Unique in what way?" She could think of any number of ways she was unique in this company, but she wanted to see what they had in mind.

Lord Howland, as the most senior man present, both in rank and in age, stepped forward. "The problem, Lady Lana, is that we are completely armored, but you have nothing on but a dress. This presents a problem."

"But I don't intend to go anywhere near the battlefield, and the crown prince _himself_ has forbidden me from moving any closer than the last ridge that leads down to the valley floor."

"That's all true, Milady, but we have come to the conclusion that you need to wear some armor of your own anyway." Lana started to protest. "Just in case," Lord Howland finished.

She found their concern to be touching and knew she couldn't refuse to honor their request. She made one last stab at getting out of it though. "I'm kind of small to wear anything you gentleman can use. Don't you think?"

Lana saw Lord Howland smile indulgently, and knew she'd been outfoxed. One of the younger lords stepped forward and held up a set of light armor that Lana admitted might be her size. She signaled to her maids and headed back into her tent. The men went away to allow their lady to change in peace, while Lana found herself facing an all-new set of garments.

"I sure wish Lois was here," he mumbled to herself, as her maids sorted everything the lords had turned over to them, "_she_ knows all about wearing this kind of stuff."

The maids then set about stripping Lana down to her skin and then getting her into what they had been told was a set of armor, and other clothing, that belonged to one lord's son. Since the boy wasn't being allowed even as close to the battle as Lana was, he wouldn't miss it.

She soon found herself wearing a loose, flowing shirt, with a padded leather shirt on top of that, a shirt of fine chain mail covering the padded leather and hanging down to her knees, and a tabard over the top of that to keep the elements off of the iron links of the chain mail. _The armor might be from a lord's son,_ Lana thought, as she eyed the purple tabard with the golden tiger head in the middle, _but they got this tabard from one of my own people. After all, they couldn't expect me to wear anything other than Lang colors. Not on a day like today._

As for her legs, they were covered with loose leather pants and knee boots, with stiff, iron-banded leather greaves over the top of the pants but under the boots, to protect her legs from knee to ankle. To complete the martial look of their lady, the maids pulled her gleaming brown hair back and then braided it. The braid was then bent back on itself at the halfway point and the end was fastened to the beginning.

Lana felt like her weight had just doubled. And while that was overstating things just a bit, she was moving more slowly, and left her tent completely sure she would be as sore as Hell tomorrow from wearing all of this stuff. The one thing she had insisted on was not wearing a helmet of any kind. She knew from experience with the stuff Lois liked to wear that a helmet made her feel somewhat claustrophobic. When Lana left her tent all accoutered for battle, she found one small boy waiting for her.

"What is your name?" Lana asked.

"Lord Duncan Howland, Milady," the boy said as he bowed low. Lana instinctively dipped a curtsey in reply and Duncan straightened.

"Your relation to the Count of Albemarle is…?"

"He's my grandfather."

Lana spied the finely tooled leather belt in the boy's hands. "Is that for me?"

Duncan nodded his head yes and held it out. One of Lana's maids took the offering and deftly fastened it around her lady's slender waist. It cinched the tabard and chain mail quite nicely and helped keep them from sliding around as she walked.

Then, looking both ways to make sure no one was looking, Duncan pulled his two sheathed daggers off of his own belt and handed them over also.

"You aren't supposed to be giving me these daggers…are you, Duncan?" Lana said it more as a statement than as a question.

"No, Ma'am."

"Then why are you?"

"Because. They're all dressing you up just in case something bad happens, and then not giving you anything to fight with." Duncan paused and marshaled his courage. "You and I both know you don't know beans about how to fight with a blade…but the other side doesn't know that, and if they see you with two serious daggers on your belt, they just might stop a second or two before charging in to get you. That extra second or two might save your life." Having said what he came to say, Duncan bowed once more and walked off.

Lana looked at the daggers seriously and made sure she could get them out of their sheaths before she clipped them onto her belt, one at each hip. Finally ready to mount her horse, Lana stepped out of her campsite to step on her mounting block so she could get on her horse, only to find she had been assigned a bodyguard of twenty armored horsemen as a final precaution. That made her mad, but she didn't see any way around it without making light of the very real concerns her lords possessed, so she withheld her annoyance and got on her horse.

"Who wants to be my bannerman?" Lana asked. All twenty of her guard vied for the honor, except one lone knight who stayed in the back and kept quiet. Lana spotted him and called the young man forward. To her eye, he didn't look much older than she was, and she figured he was the most junior member of her bodyguard this day.

"You don't want Sir Carl, Milady," one knight bellowed, "it's his first battle."

That decided things for Lana on the spot. "Sir Carl? Please take up my banner." The young knight's face blossomed when he realized he was being given the honor to carry the lady's banner and ride at her side in the coming battle. When the other knights turned to form up, she leaned in close to Sir Carl and said quietly, "This is my first battle, too. Us beginners will just have to keep each other company."

Sir Carl took Lana's white and gold royal standard, her banner as the commander of this part of the army, and placed the heel of the flagstaff in the dangling lance cup that usually held the end of his war lance. His other hand found a firm grip halfway up the shaft to hold the banner in place. When the two of them joined Lana's bodyguard, the group of twenty-one rode off to the prearranged meeting spot a couple of hundred yards short of the last ridgeline.

Now, all Lana and her 15,000 had to do was wait.

While Lana was waiting for the signal that would order her troops to advance, Kal-El was riding closely behind his battle line. The tactics for this battle had been decided on mostly by Dax-Ur, who was a seasoned commander. Kal-El saw his job in the coming fight as one of morale. He would expend his energy riding here and there, helping where he could. His Kryptonian solar energy, however, he was keeping all to himself. He wasn't sure how or why, but he just knew he'd be facing Zod today. One way or another, the would-be king would seek out the prince who stood in his way, and Kal-El intended to be ready.

It was well after sunrise before Lord General Dru-Zod's army drew itself up in full array to face the loyalists, who were a good quarter mile away. Just as Dax-Ur and Kal-El had hoped the night before, Zod appeared to be planning to crush the left end of their line and force their army away from their one escape route. Not only were Zod's own troops lined up on that end, but behind them were the white uniforms of the King's Legion.

Just seeing those men on the other side made Kal-El's blood boil. _Those men belong over here. Once this war is over, there will be some changes made, so that no commander can build up that kind of loyalty ever again._

Once his troops were in place, Zod gave the order to attack, and his battle line rolled forward toward the waiting foe. The tramp of booted feet, the clangor of armor, and the shout of officers was all that could be heard as Zod's army approached. When the two armies were in range, arrows arced across the sky by the thousands and then dove into the opposing lines. Some arrows were deflected by armor, but some found soft flesh instead of hardened steel. And as men were wounded and began to fall, others closed up the holes in the formations and prepared for the physical and mental shock of first contact.

Kal-El watched and Lana tried to listen as the two forces came together. Now pikes clanged into breastplates and knights on horseback drove lances into each other, and all over, men were shouting, screaming, crying, and dying. Lana was suddenly glad she couldn't see the battle and wondered what she'd do when her own people, some of which she'd come to know slightly in the past few days, marched into battle and began to fall themselves.

Kal-El rode back and forth behind the lines, bellowing words of encouragement, only a few feet behind the row upon row of soldiers. Just like Lana, Kal-El had a bannerman. His bannerman rode behind him, holding aloft the prince's white and gold royal standard, fringed with black, so everyone would know who he was.

Just as planned, the left end of the loyalist army was being forced back rather quickly, while the right end was giving ground much more slowly. Dax-Ur and Kal-El figured it would be close to midday before Zod's men had advanced far enough on the left for them to signal Lana's forces to start their attack.

While Kal-El was riding back and forth to bolster morale, Dax-Ur was back at his centralized command post. He needed to remain in one easy to find spot so that messengers from various commanders could easily find him. As he watched from his hill, one thing began to bother him: and that was that _everything_ was going according to plan.

He'd been a soldier long enough to know that battle plans rarely lasted beyond the first clash of opposing armies, and he'd spent a lot of time since waking in deciding just how to use Lana's troops if things went other than he hoped for. He thought he was ready for nearly anything, but seeing everything go according to plan had him feeling extremely suspicious. He found himself checking on Zod's advance on the left more and more closely, wondering if there was something hidden going on he just wasn't seeing.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

The Tides of Battle

As the morning wore on, Kal-El began directing the hard-pressed troops on the left, instead of just boosting their morale. His job was to help keep them in a cohesive line as they moved backward in the face of the enemy. Knowing what was about to happen, it was hard for him to not look up at the mountain pass every few minutes, but he forced himself to focus on what was in front of him at the moment.

Finally, Zod's forces had bent the loyalist line back far enough that Dax-Ur judged it was time to bring Lana's troops into play. He took a burlap sack filled with tar-soaked rags, and lit one end of it with his heat vision. Waiting until the sack was engulfed with flames, he then hurled the bag high into the air, where even Lana's forces in the pass could see it.

In the pass, all the assembled lords mounted their horses, at the front of their respective armies, and then turned to face Lana.

"What are they waiting for?" Lana asked her bannerman.

"I believe, Milady, that they are waiting for you to give them the formal order to advance."

"Oh." Lana sat there for a second in bewildered silence. "Well how do I do that?"

"Umm…I believe you should hold one arm straight up, as high as the arm can reach."

Lana did as her banner man suggested. "Like this?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Then what?"

"Well…then swing that arm forward and down, until your hand is pointed in the general direction of the enemy."

Once again, Lana followed her nervous banner man's direction, and was gratified to see her commanders lead their own troops forward. She started forward at the same time, riding under the royal standard, but proudly bearing the purple and gold Lang tiger upon her chest.

Lana and her bodyguard reached the last ridge, and looked down on the carnage of a battle fought by strong men using heavy steel weapons. Thousands of men lay dead or dying, with more to come before the day was out. Lana felt a sudden urge to make her men run down the pass to end the battle sooner and save more lives, but she stayed outwardly calm and hoped her men knew what they were doing.

Down on the valley floor, things were going exactly as planned…for Zod anyway.

As the first of Lana's 15,000 troops appeared over the last ridge in the pass and started the downhill march toward the seemingly undefended rear of Zod's right wing, a member of Zod's command staff drew his lord's attention to what was happening in the pass.

"They're right on time, Sire. Just as you predicted."

Not even bothering to look up from his map table, Zod replied, "Give the order to the Legion, Cran-Mer."

"Yes, Sire. At once." Cran-Mer turned on his heel and left the tent. Within seconds, he had run the mile and a half to the acting commander of the King's Legion and was ordering him to execute Zod's plan. At that order, the Legion turned as one. The left side of the formation marched forward and to the right, while the right side marched backward and to the left, giving their formation the appearance of turning ninety degrees to the right like a pinwheel.

Lana saw this happening from her perch up on the top of the ridge, as the sight of 20,000 men in white uniforms and shiny armor was hard for even a neophyte like her to miss. "Is that supposed to be happening?" she asked her bannerman.

"Umm…no, Milady. I think not." Lana looked over and saw the young man swallow hard, so much so that she fancied she could nearly hear him do it. "I _think_ your men may be in for a rough time."

Lana unconsciously leaned forward in her saddle and watched in mute horror as her troops marched down the hill toward the best troops in the entire kingdom. Dax-Ur had much the same reaction from his command post. He knew there was nothing he could do to help those soldiers except pray.

Kal-El wasn't in position to see what the King's Legion was doing. What he _could _do was look up the mountain pass, using his telescopic vision, and see Lana for the first time in months. There she was sitting proudly on her horse, wearing what looked to be some kind of armor, a precaution he heartily approved of, and looking lovelier to him than ever, despite her manly outfit.

_She'd better stay right where she is, too! _Kal-El thought. _Otherwise, her father will be called in to answer for her actions. _He was worried, as any man would be to find his love this close to a major battle, but as much as he loved her, he had to push thoughts of her from his mind and concentrate on what he was supposed to be doing. So, taking one last glimpse of his angel, he turned back to work.

Meanwhile, Lana's sense of horror was mounting. By the time her troops reached the valley floor and headed for Zod's men, the King's Legion was already in place. They had more men, were more experienced, and were in a better position than Lana's men. All she could do was pray for a miracle, that _somehow, _her men would win.

It was not to be.

The King's Legion tore into Lana's troops, cutting down men in great swaths. Lana's troops were doing well, but not well enough. After an hour and a half, many of her troops broke and began a hasty retreat back up the pass. When Lana saw all of the broken bodies down on the field, all those dead men that had followed her here, she turned to one side and became violently ill, vomiting all over the place.

And then she got angry and began to slowly ride her horse _forward, _down the ridge toward her retreating troops.

"Milady!" her bannerman said in alarm. "If you go forward, you will be arrested, by the prince's order."

Lana turned her head, but not her horse, and said, "We have to _win_ the battle for him to have me arrested. I'm not giving up until there's nothing left to do. If we win, I'll turn myself in and the prince can do with me whatever he wishes." She then ordered her twenty-man bodyguard to spread out in a long, thin line. Their job was to stop the retreating soldiers, get them facing the other way, and begin to get them going down the pass once more.

While Lana was attempting to stop and reorganize her retreating troops, Zod was redirecting the Legion to rejoin the main body. His plan was to finish off the enemy's main body before returning to the pass to deal with Lana's troops once and for all.

To Dax-Ur, the retreat of Lana's troops was the worst news possible. He knew that without their continued participation, he and his army were likely doomed. Pushing those defeatist thoughts from his mind, he set about his defense.

Kal-El was still working with the left wing of the army. Try as he might, though, he was unable to keep Lana out of his mind, and thus he kept sneaking peeks back into the pass to see her one more time. Each look filled his heart near to bursting with love, right up until the time he looked and saw Lana riding her horse down the slope and _toward_ the battle.

Raw fear filled his heart then. _What in seven Hells is that stupid woman doing? _He was as scared as he'd ever been in his life. And as she kept riding down toward the battle, his anger began to grow strong enough to match his fear. _If she survives this…_ Kal-El stopped himself then, because he didn't want to make a promise in the heat of battle, but what he'd been about to say was that he was going to blister her butt.

As Lana and her line of bodyguards neared the first retreating troops, she started to become more and more angry as she saw how few of them were injured in any way. The heavily armored knights of her bodyguard were yelling at the men, striking them with the flat of their swords if they tried to sneak by, and getting most of them to rally behind Lana as she continued her implacable advance. Some of the retreaters stopped because of the beatings and the steadfast presence of the knights, but most stopped and turned because a little slip of a woman was showing them up. While they were retreating, she was moving forward, shaming them back into line. She didn't need to say a word; her example said it all. _Follow me! We're not done yet! The battle is not over until the last soldier stops fighting!_

Up ahead, maybe half of her remaining troops were retreating in good order, still under the direct command of their officers. Lana headed for what looked like a knot of senior officers having a hasty conference. To a man they blanched when they saw her approach…and then they took another look and were amazed to see she had brought back most of their wayward men.

Most of the commanders started to ride off to begin the lengthy process of reintegrating the returning men into their old units, but Lana stopped them cold and said, "We don't have any time to waste. Throw them into formation, without regard for who belongs to whom, and _get moving."_

In as little as fifteen minutes, Lana's commanders had their troops into decent order and were marching forward once more. Lana herself took position on a hill that provided her a commanding view of the action, while keeping her out of the fighting itself. The breeze had picked up, and Lana heard the royal standard snapping in the wind as her men advanced.

Zod's commander of the King's Legion saw Lana's troops coming once more and hurried to get his veterans turned about to face them. He was confident of victory, even as Lana's men bore down on him shouting a new war cry: "For God, the king, and Lady Lana!"

Several things then began to happen all at once. First, Lana was now close enough to the front line that the men of the King's Legion could see the royal standard she rode under. Everyone recognized that flag on sight, and all of them knew it was a capital offense to use a royal standard unless you were a member of the royal family or had their permission, as it was tantamount to declaring yourself to be the king.

The King's Legion had been led to believe they were fighting to protect the crown, but seeing that banner on the other side of the battle gave them pause, and roughly a third of the remaining legionnaires deserted the Legion on the spot for fear of fighting against the king. The rest of the Legion stood firm, as they thought the royal standard was just a dirty trick, but the legionnaires who backed out left gaping holes in the Legion's formation, holes they didn't have time to close, just as Lana's men charged into them at full force, chanting their war cry: "Lady Lana! Lady Lana!"

The defections gave the two sides nearly equal numbers, but Lana's side had sky-high morale they had picked up from their tiny but fierce commander, and the Legion's Swiss cheese formation made them highly susceptible to the loyalist charge.

In a matter of a mere fifteen minutes it was over, and the shattered King's Legion was on the run. Lana's captain-general sent all of the fast-moving light cavalry after them to insure they kept running, and to cut down as many of them as possible. Meanwhile, the infantry and the heavy cavalry, comprised mainly of knights, continued on toward their main goal: the completely undefended rear of Zod's army.

From that point on, the final outcome of the battle was not in doubt, as Zod's remaining troops were not able to disengage from Dax-Ur's army to face Lana's. Even attempting to turn _half _of a unit around to face Lana's victorious troops would just have meant being crushed from two directions at once.

When Lana's army hit the rear of Zod's right wing, it buckled and collapsed in short order. Nearby units saw the writing on the wall. They didn't want to wait for Lana's troops and the newly unencumbered left wing of Dax-Ur's army to curl in behind them and cut them down, too, so they tried to begin a fighting retreat, with Zod sending over all his remaining cavalry to help screen the right flank of his remaining forces from the combined might of Lana's troops and Dax-Ur's left wing.

Though he was still in active command of his army, Zod was stunned by this sudden reversal of fortune. Not long ago, he had seen the loyalist forces from the pass get thrashed by the King's Legion. By the time he found out someone had managed to rally those troops in record time and lead them back onto the battlefield, they had already taken their revenge and utterly crushed his most prized troops. Almost all of his reserves had already been committed, and with the Legion and his right wing being decimated, he knew he was in very deep trouble.

His men were now seriously outnumbered by an army that had edges in confidence and morale, and even if he managed a miracle and extricated his army from this nightmare, they still had a long retreat back up a valley that had just been denuded of supplies by the two armies as they marched south earlier in the week. And that retreat would not be made without company from the loyalists. He knew they'd be nipping at his heels the whole way. Not only that, but he fully expected word of his crushing defeat to embolden those lords who had decided to sit out the war because they were uncertain which way to go.

Realizing that his long-held dream of being king was coming to an ignominious end here on this battlefield, Zod ran up and down his lines and announced to his senior commanders that all was lost and that they should surrender at once so they could receive the best terms possible. It was the only thing he could do to honor their sacrifice and loyalty.

Turning bloodshot eyes toward the battle lines, Zod himself had only one thing left to do: kill Kal-El. If he had to give up his dreams, he would make damn sure that that pompous ass Jor-El had to forfeit his dreams, also.

Zod loosened his sword in its scabbard, as he floated a few feet off the ground so he could more easily locate the crown prince. If he remembered correctly, the useless spawn of Jor-El and Lara fancied himself a swordsman. Zod was determined to give the boy a short and very painful lesson on what a true swordsman really looked like.

As white flags began to be raised all along the remainder of Zod's line, he spotted the white and gold flag, trimmed with black, that should be mere feet away from his target. A quick check with his x-ray vision confirmed Kal-El's presence, along with a bannerman and a knight in black Cipangan armor. _Heh! The fabled Dark Knight. Having him on guard when I'm around is like trying to stop a raging river with a mop and bucket. What a waste of a warrior._

Turning back to hug his faithful horse around the neck one last time, Zod drew his sword and took the risk of flying the short distance. No one rose from the ground to intercept him, and no one managed to shoot him with a green Kryptonite arrow, so as he landed, he was able to bellow his challenge. "Quit hiding behind the talents of others, Kal-El. It's time for the world to learn what kind of man _you_ are."

Kal-El's ten men moved to encircle Zod, even though they had no hope of stopping him. Bruce unsheathed his katana and stood directly between the prince and mortal danger, but his chances against a Kryptonian were just as bleak.

"Move aside, Bruce," Kal-El said, as he unsheathed his sword, "you can protect me from all other dangers, but this one is _mine."_


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

One on One

The two men eyed each other as they began to circle, with each man moving clockwise to keep his blade on the side of his enemy. Both were up on their toes as they moved, and were ready for the first hint of an aggressive move from the other.

Being that a super-powered clash between the two would break every kind of regular sword ever made, including Bruce's Cipangan katana, the swords that Dru-Zod and Kal-El carried had each been greatly strengthened by a magical reinforcement spell. Zod had cast his own, while Lara had claimed a mother's prerogative and had done the deed herself for Kal-El.

As for armor, Zod was wearing little more than the breastplate/backplate combination Kal-El had on. His only additions were vambraces to cover his forearms, and lobstered gauntlets to protect his hands.

Both men were huge by human standards, with the main difference physically being that Kal-El was nineteen, while Zod was in his late forties. It was a difference that was no difference due to their solar-fueled powers.

It was a difference of which Kal-El planned to make use.

"I hope this will be just between us," Zod said. He wanted a clean shot at Kal-El and knew full well there were enough other Kryptonians in the loyalist army that one or two were likely already near enough to stab him in the back. Appealing to Kal-El's sense of fairness, a traditional weakness of the House of El as far as Zod was concerned, was his only hope.

Kal-El kept his eyes on Zod, and slipped the small, flat lead box out of its hiding place in the top of his breeches even as he loudly ordered Bruce and his ten man guard to hold the growing crowd back. "This is personal," Kal-El said. "I intend to erase this stain on the honor of Kryptonian chivalry myself."

"You can't _afford_ a personal fight, Dumbass!" Bruce said loudly, which caused any number of shocked gasps from the growing crowd. But that was what Bruce wanted. He wanted everyone to have their eyes on his face, as he took the box from Kal-El and opened it. Walking around in front and putting his back toward Zod so he could face Kal-El, Bruce said, "But if you want a man-on-man duel, I can't stop you. Just remember, if you die, your mother's promised to kill me. So, let me give you a blessing so you can get on with this rank stupidity." Bruce muttered, "Bow a bit, Boy. Make it look like I'm giving you a blessing or something so I can put this thing on you."

Kal-El bowed at the waist, dipping his head just low enough for Bruce to slip the amulet over his head, before tucking it safely inside his breastplate. For this fight, Kal-El was banking on his long months of training with Bruce to give him the critical edge. Kal had reason to believe Zod wasn't used to fighting without his solar-charged abilities, and thus would begin to tire as his older body began to feel the effects of gravity and extreme physical exertion.

"Good luck, my friend," Bruce said quietly as he stepped away.

While Bruce had been sneaking the training amulet onto Kal-El's neck, the prince's ten-man bodyguard had been backing the crowd away from the two combatants to give them ample room.

"Now remember," Kal-El shouted, "this is between the duke and me. No outside interference is allowed." Looking across at the man who'd been the cause of so much death and suffering, Kal-El added, "Let's get this over with. I have someone much more important than you on which to spend my time."

Zod was slightly incensed by the idea that the prince saw him as a minor distraction to be easily dealt with before moving on to something else, but ultimately he didn't care what the prince thought, not as long as he got to stop him from ever thinking again.

Both men spiraled in on the center point of the impromptu dueling circle. Kal-El's face was a blank mask, while Zod's exuded confidence…right until the point where he came within range of the power numbing effect of Kal-El's amulet. Shock rippled across his face then, followed closely by outrage.

"Why?!" Zod bellowed. "Why take away that which makes us unique? That which makes us who we are?"

"Power doesn't make us who we are, Zod. We are defined by our actions, just as the humans are."

Incredulous, Zod stepped closer, almost within striking distance. "That you would _dare_ compare us to _them," _Zod couldn't even bring himself say the word 'human,' "makes you a traitor to your race just like your father."

"I'm proud to be like him, Zod." There were long-standing rumors about Zod's parentage that Kal-El planned to put to use right now. "But maybe that's because I _know_ who both of my parents are. Too bad you can't say the same."

Bruce was pleasantly surprised to see that Kal-El was willing to engage in this type of personal attack. Hitting a prideful man like Zod below the belt, metaphorically anyway, was bound to make him angry, and an angry man isn't a thinking man. And Bruce knew that Zod's only way of overcoming Kal-El's edge in physical condition was by thinking.

But that wasn't going to happen. Kal-El's last comment had struck Zod in his most sensitive spot. Calling any noble a bastard was grounds for death as their claim to their title was based on the legitimacy of their birth, but saying it to a man who harbored secret doubts about his legitimacy was like waving a red cape in front of a bull. Zod was so enraged that words escaped him. All he could utter as he leapt to the attack was a deep-throated roar.

As Kal-El parried Zod's first strike, he could see the way the muscles in the older man's neck knotted with fury, and he knew he had won himself another important advantage.

Caught in the fist of his fury, Zod lashed out and made the first dozen or so strikes. High slashes, low cuts, and everywhere in between. None of them came close to touching Kal-El, as he easily blocked them all. Kal-El didn't strike back though, not yet. For the moment, he was content to allow Zod to use up his now finite amounts of strength, speed, and stamina in fruitless attacks, while he himself reserved his physical condition for later, when Zod was weak.

Zod's fury only grew as Kal-El refused to trade attacks with him, and his dismay grew blow by blow as the youngster show himself more than capable of stopping any attack Zod chose to make. And then there was the way the boy baited him whenever he spoke.

"Come on, old man! Is that all you've got?" Kal-El sneered. "My _sister_ hits harder than that, and she's never swung a sword in her life." That was technically true; Princess Mara _did_ hit harder than Zod on the rare occasions that Kal-El angered her, but that was mostly because she had never experienced the effects of a training amulet. Kal-El didn't think Zod needed to know _that_ little piece of information.

Zod redoubled his efforts, but even with sweat coating his body like never before in his life, he still made no dent in Kal-El's seamless defense. The more Zod struggled, the more Kal-El smiled, which only served to infuriate Zod even further.

When the point of Zod's sword began to drop from fatigue, he started shouting at Kal-El. "Fight me like a man!" Zod was _trying_ to sound commanding, but it came out sounding like he was whining, and Kal-El mocked him openly.

Using his best little girl's voice, Kal said, "Fight me like a man! Fight me like a man!"

Kal-El moved to the attack then, with his blade whirling around Zod's, biting deeply into his thigh, upper arm, and shoulder on successive strikes. Blood was flowing freely down the left side of Zod's body now. His left arm was useless and his left leg wasn't much better. Holding his sword one-handed, and having shifted all of his weight to his one good leg, Zod was just waiting for the killing blow.

When the blow was slow in coming, Zod said, "Whatcha waiting for, _Boy?" _Zod's voice became more and more shrill with every word. "Knees going weak at the sight of a little blood? What's the matter? Does Kal-El need his mommy to hold his hand?"

Kal-El swung his sword again, knocking Zod's sword out of his hand, and sending him to his knees.

"I'll not beg for my life," Zod said. "But you'll have to take it from me. We both know if you walk away now, I'll heal almost instantly."

Kal-El wasn't eager to kill Zod. Defeating him had been enough. But he could not order anyone else to do his dirty work for him. "Dru-Zod, Duke of Walachia. For fomenting rebellion against your lawful king and for causing the death of thousands of soldiers, and the wounding of many thousands more, I, Kal-El, Crown Prince of Alemannia, do hereby find you guilty of high treason, for which the only punishment is death."

"Just get _on_ with it!" Zod said. "I grow tired. Tired of your sheep-like bleating, tired of watching my beloved Lara be someone else's wife…just tired of life."

"So be it." Kal-El summoned all of his natural strength and sent his sword whistling through a flat arc that intersected with Zod's neck. Only the strength of the prince's arms, the sharpness of his blade, and the totality of his commitment to the blow allowed his sword to cut through Zod's neck and sever his head.

The small crowd, which had been uncommonly silent through most of the battle, erupted in wild celebration when Zod's head hit the ground. Kal-El whipped off his amulet and gave it to Bruce to put back in the box. When he felt his power come back, he turned to look at the crowd, took in a deep breath, and shouted them to silence. "Celebrate the end of the war if you must," he said, "but don't celebrate the death of this man. He was a hero of two wars, and not one year ago, many of you wanted to be just like him.

"So remember this day. Remember Zod's end. But also remember the man he once was, a man my father used to be proud to call 'friend.'"

Kal-El stooped to wipe his blade clean on the grass before sliding it back into its scabbard. Picking a random officer out of the crowd, Kal-El said, "What is your name?"

The officer bowed low. "Lord Ian Silverman, your Highness."

"Stand up. This is a battlefield, not court." When the young officer stood, Kal-El said, "I'm placing you and your men in charge of making sure, absolutely sure, that no one defiles Duke Dru-Zod's body. Use any means necessary to ensure it, or when I come back, I will make you wish you had."

Having taken care of Zod's body for the moment, Kal-El marched off, with Bruce and his ten man bodyguard close behind him, intent on finding out how the rest of the battle was progressing. By the time they remounted and found Dax-Ur, the surrenders of the individual units of the rebel army were complete.

As they all watched, from Dax-Ur's headquarters, the various units of Zod's army were stacking their weapons in somewhat neat piles before marching to where they were being directed. Seeing that it was over, really over, allowed Kal-El to turn his thoughts to Lana.

_She's out there. Somewhere out there Lana is waiting. _Kal refused to admit the possibility that Lana could be injured or even be dead.

"Do you have any word on Lady Lana's location?" Kal-El asked.

"She's still up in the pass, isn't she?" Dax-Ur replied.

"_Hell_ no. I saw her and her bodyguard ride down the ridge _during_ the battle."

Dry washing his face with a hand, Dax-Ur said, "I'll send out a patrol to arrest her, as per your order, Milord."

"No. I'll find her. Just let me have a squadron of heavy cavalry for a suitable escort and I'll be fine." So it was that a unit of Kal-El's own Borussian knights were sent for to follow along behind the prince and his eleven man escort. Their presence brought the size of his escort up to fifty, which was more than enough for his purpose. Kal-El knew he could search the battlefield much faster on his own, but he had to take along the escort just in case.

Leaving the command post and the army behind, Kal-El set off to find the one thing that mattered to him most: his love, his life, his _Lana._


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

The Synergy of Love

With the heavy cavalry squadron Dax-Ur arranged for his prince, Kal-El found himself guarded by Bruce and fifty heavily armed horsemen as he went out to search for Lana. As soon as they left camp and headed back toward the morning's original front line, Bruce eyed Kal-El and said, "I don't say this easily, your Highness, but what you did back there with Zod was impressive."

Kal-El looked back at Bruce, not quite sure he'd heard the man correctly. "Thank you."

"I _expected_ you to make use of your amulet, but the rest of what you did was inspired. I mean, after taking Kryptonian powers out of the equation, you taunted the guy and made him boiling mad, and then let him wear himself out in fruitless attacks. How did you think of all that?"

Kal-El kept his eyes forward, looking for any sign of Lana, even as he gave Bruce an explanation. "Swordplay is something I learned from Sir Emmerich, and from you, but _winning_ is something I learned from my father. What I did to Zod was just a military application of my father's lessons in politics."

"Which was…?"

"Take every advantage you possibly can before finally making your attack." Kal-El paused, and then made an admission. "The truth of the matter is that I could have taken Zod captive once I got close enough for him to feel the effect of the amulet. That way, he could have been tried for high treason, in court, by my parents. But I felt that by coming to find me the way he did, he had made his choice about the way he wanted to die. And respecting that choice was the only way I had of honoring the many years of service he had given to the kingdom."

"You let him go out as a warrior instead of as a political prisoner." Bruce turned back to looking for Lana. "That's a choice I can respect."

Not long after that, Kal-El spotted the royal standard he had sent to the Langs not so long ago. As his excitement rose, Kal-El stood in his stirrups to get a better angle and then used his telescopic vision to zoom in on the area beneath the white and gold flag. There, sitting astride her strawberry roan horse, was the object of his desire. Kal-El slowed his horse, and then stopped to drink in the details.

Lana was dirty, sweaty, completely grubby in appearance, and yet…she had never looked more beautiful to Kal-El than she did at that moment. Just seeing her alive and unhurt was a thrill, but her face seemed to glow in the afternoon sun, and her purple and gold tabard, chain mail shirt and brown leather pants gave her a slightly wild appearance that made the blood boil in his veins. He couldn't _wait_ to get his hands on her.

"Found her?" Bruce asked politely, even though the answer was plainly written on Kal-El's face; for not only was the prince smiling, but he was inadvertently licking his lips.

"Oh yeah. Let's get moving." A pace that had been a slow trot before spotting Lana turned into a full gallop, as the prince led his guards in a pell-mell race across the battlefield.

Lana had stayed on the hill where she had stopped to watch her troops sweep the King's Legion from the field. As her men had come in contact with Dax-Ur's army, they had become his to command, and then she had become nothing more than a highly interested spectator.

Once Zod's army collapsed, her father's captain-general made sure to send a suitably large force to form a defensive circle around his lady's hill. There was no way he was going to allow something to happen to her now.

Thinking ahead, Lana wondered where her former troops would camp for the evening. They'd either have to march back up into the pass, or else go up there, break camp, and return to the valley floor. Then, they'd have to march to the far side of Lord General Dax-Ur's camp, because the ground around her current position was littered with bloody bodies that were fouling the valley's one small river with their blood.

Thoughts of where she'd sleep became secondary as soon as wounded troops started making their way back toward her position. She knew then that camp would have to be down here, and sent word back up the pass to make ready. Lana was busy making preliminary plans when the first commander returned briefly to her well-defended hill. He was exultant over the crushing victory that had been won, but Lana's first words set him back. "As soon as I'm finished here, you will need to arrest me and take me to the prince, for I defied his direct order."

"What? It was thanks to _you_ that the battle was won _at all."_

"That may be the truth, or not. Neither matters. The prince gave me a direct order, which I promptly defied. My punishment, or lack thereof, is up to him." Lana eyed the commander, who didn't seem to believe what he was hearing. "The other reason you need to arrest me is that the prince specifically ordered my commanders, a group to which you belong, to make that arrest. If you fail to arrest me, you will be just as guilty as I am."

"No, Milady…no. If the prince wants you arrested, he'll have to come here and do it himself." The commander brought his closed fist across his chest to thump against his heart in a salute, a rare gesture for soldier to make to anyone other than another soldier. "I know I speak for all my fellow nobles when I say we stand with you."

"Thank you, that's very touching," Lana said, and she meant it. "But if you won't arrest me, I'll just have to ride into their camp and turn myself in." She meant that, too. And once she had started the process of moving the camp down to the valley floor, she found someone else to oversee the process and then mounted her horse to turn herself in.

Lana didn't tell anyone else, especially the knights of her bodyguard, where she was going or what she intended to do once she got there, for fear of them trying to talk her out of it. So she left her protected hill with her twenty knights, including her bannerman, and headed for the prince's camp. She didn't _really_ believe she would be punished when she turned herself in, not once the prince learned about her role in the battle, but she felt she had to go through with the arrest to make sure the prince knew she took his commands and his authority seriously.

At that moment, Kal-El was thundering his way toward Lana's hill after spotting her a minute earlier. Lana had just left her hill when she saw a large mounted party flying the prince's black-trimmed royal standard heading directly toward her. _Well, I guess he's making it easy on me, _Lana thought, as she reined in her horse to wait for the prince. _If he lets me go like I think he will, maybe he'll tell me where I can find Clark. After all, Clark is a knight in the prince's very own Borussian army._

Lana's mind was on happy thoughts like these, deliberately ignoring the chance that her Clark might already be dead, when she heard the pounding hooves of the prince's escort come to a stop. Looking up to see the prince's men not twenty yards distant, Lana began looking for the prince himself, but found her search interrupted by a warm voice that seemed to be right next to her stirrup.

She somehow couldn't make a lick of sense out of what was said, because her mind was overwhelmed by the sound of the voice that said it.

_Clark! _

Her head whipped around and down, and her eyes lit up with unrestrained joy as she saw her man. He was grimy and a little bit bloody, but his smile was as wide as could be. He was unmistakably her Clark.

In her haste to get to him, Lana caught her toe in a stirrup and fell off her saddle, only to feel two massive hands on her waist helping straighten her up and then lower her…but not to the ground. Lana found herself dangling in midair, with her lips at a point exactly across from his. She was fairly sure the rest of his face was there also, but she could only testify to the presence of his delicious, oh so soft lips.

Their lips brushed once, twice, and then came crashing together as Kal-El whirled Lana around him in a tight circle. Kisses fell like rain then, and were interspersed with single-word endearments like 'beloved,' 'honey,' and 'dearest.' The soldiers of both sides looked on bemusedly as their respective commanders tore into each other without restraint.

Kal-El might have gone on spinning Lana round and round, if she hadn't started getting dizzy. A quick request was all it took for him to bring her body to a stop, but her feet were still a foot off the ground, and their lips were still hungrily searching for the heart-filling sustenance that could only be given to them by the other. They kissed and whispered sweet nothings, riding a raging flood of unleashed emotions, until Lana finally had to pull back and take a few deep breaths.

As she gulped in a couple of deep breaths, they took their first long, close-up looks at each other, with their eyes devouring the sight as intensely as their lips had been kissing seconds before.

"Lana…" Clark managed to choke out, before he became too emotional to continue. It was only one word, only her first name, but Lana knew at that moment she'd never be able to explain the welter of emotions she felt when he said her name in the way that only he could.

"Oh, Clark! It's been _so_ long…"

"…_too_ long." Hearing Lana speak his _other _name, the only name she knew him by, brought the realities of their situation to the fore. As much as he'd dreamed about hearing her say his name once again, Kal-El knew he had to tell her about himself now, before she realized the truth herself.

"My name is not Clark. You know that already, but it's time I told you the truth."

Lana's ears perked up upon hearing that. She'd long wondered what Kryptonian family her Clark was a member of, mostly because she wondered what set of parents they would have to convince to allow them to marry, and because she wanted to know what married name she would have once they succeeded. But her months of speculation did nothing to prepare her for the truth.

Kal-El set Lana on her feet, and gazed into her hazel eyes with his sea green ones. "My name is Kal-El."

A cloud of confusion rolled across Lana's face. She took one step back and looked over at the prince's retinue, hoping to see the prince astride a horse, but instead, only saw a magnificent horse with an empty saddle. She then looked back at Clark…at _Kal-El…_and took in what he was wearing for the first time. A fancy gold-trimmed steel breastplate over the top of a thickly gold-brocaded uniform coat that just _screamed _power, but it was the green and gold of the coat that did the trick. Lana knew that green and gold were the colors of the Duke of Borussia, who was also the Crown Prince of Alemannia.

Lana's voice was shaky, as she said, "You're not…not just some second son of a middling noble. You're not just a humble lieutenant, you're the crown prince!" Forgetting she didn't have a dress on, Lana started to curtsey and then switched to an awkward bow once she remembered what she did have on. She bowed as low as she could manage, and each inch she went down drove Kal-El's spirits down also.

"Please don't do that to me," Kal-El pled.

"The daughters of barons _always_ make obeisance to a prince of the realm." Kal-El couldn't tell whether Lana's attitude was stiff or sad, but it felt to him as if she was withdrawing from him emotionally.

"Maybe they do as a general case, but _this_ baronial daughter _marries_ the prince."

"How?" Lana asked. "The gulf that exists between royal and baron is, in many ways, wider than the one between baron and commoner. The king and queen must have dozens of eligible, high-ranking prospective brides with all sorts of powerful political connections just waiting to meet you…and what do I have to offer them?" Lana's impassioned voice became lower, softer, and sadder. "How can my love for you match that in their eyes? I'm just the second daughter of a relatively poor baron, whose best connections are with our neighboring barons, none of who have been to the capital in years."

Kal-El instinctively pulled Lana back into his arms. Nuzzling the top of her windblown hair as she nestled in close against him, he said quietly, "Your love for me is more than a match for all the connections in the world, Lana. It inspires me to fight for you, to insist that _no one _but you will do." Kal-El bent his neck to place a warm kiss on Lana's forehead. "Now…our relationship and its future difficulties can be gone over at our leisure some other time when no one else is around to hear us, but right now, we have some work to do to help our wounded, and after that, I expect we'll join in the celebrations that will last long into the night."

"My people are already in the process of moving our camp, including our hospital tents, down here to be closer to the men."

"Good. They can set up your camp on the far side of our camps. That way, your people will get the first shot at clean water, which is only fitting since they were responsible for turning the tide of battle today."

Lana basked for a moment in the reflected glory of Clark's compliment to her troops. She listened to her own thoughts and realized which name she had just used to ID him in her mind. _Gah! It's going to take quite some time to get used to calling him, and thinking of him as, Kal-El. _She figured to get lots of time to practice that night, as she fully intended to stay by his side no matter where he went or what he did.

When Kal-El and Lana went to where the wounded were being treated, he spent a long time using his limited experience with, and talent for, healing spells to pitch in, like the other Kryptonians in his army, and help a number of wounded men avoid a surgeon's bone saw.

Lana was right there by his side, comforting and encouraging the men she met, sometimes with sweetness, sometimes with irreverent cheek. They spent so much time together in the makeshift field hospital that their dinner was very late, and they ate it sitting side by side on little camp seats outside of his small complex of tents while they waited for her new camp to go up. The sun had long since gone down, and the only light was provided by a number of flickering torches set at regular intervals in front of Kal-El's tents.

"What now?" Lana asked, as she brushed the last crumbs of her meal from her hands.

"For us? Or for the army we have here?"

"For us, Cla…_Kal-El. _The army can wait 'til morning."

Kal-El reached across the small space between them, took Lana's hands into his, and began lightly rubbing the pads of his thumbs across the backs of her knuckles. "Now that you know my secret, and that we each know the other is safe, the next step is the big one: finding my parents and convincing them to allow us to marry."

"Where are they?"

"I _think_ either they or my sister are holed up in the Duke of Salzerei's castle. It may not _sound_ like much, but just by staying there, they tied up several thousand of Zod's troops in a fruitless siege."

Lana thought about how much of a difference just a few thousand more troops might have made. "I'd say they made an important contribution."

"But not," Kal-El began, "anything like the contributions made by Lady Lang." Lana politely raised her brows, pretending ignorance of what he was talking about. "While you were taking care of some personal business, Lana, I received a rather full report from Dax-Ur. In it, he told me that your troops had to face the King's Legion all by themselves. He told me how your troops fought, but eventually broke and ran. Then, despite a command from her prince to stay where she was, Lady Lang rode down to the valley floor. Full of fire and determination, she rallied her troops with her courageous example, saving the day and winning the battle." Kal-El leaned in close. "What do you think a contribution like that is worth, Lana? I've already cancelled the order to arrest Lady Lang for leaving her assigned spot on the ridge, but what else should I give this mysterious woman for saving my life and my father's throne?"

Kal-El was so close that Lana could feel the heat of his breath on her lips, so close that she could feel the pull of his body as they sat there only inches apart.

"Anything she wants," Lana whispered, "and right now, what she wants _most_ is for your lips to come just a little bit closer. She's been away from you far too long for those few kisses out on the battlefield to last her through the night."

Kal-El stood, and used his hold on Lana's hands to pull her to her feet. Lana grunted in pain, as her legs were sore from being on her horse all day long. Kal-El released her hands, but only because he wanted to cup her face. His fingertips brushed against her earlobes and his thumbs traced the line of her cheekbones, as she placed her hands on his shoulders and rose up on her toes. And then they paused, just for the smallest instant, before their lips came together and disproved the mathematical axiom that 1+1=2.

Because whenever Kal-El and Lana Lang come together, the sum of her plus him is _far_ more than two: it's a result called the synergy of love.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Breakfast

The next morning, Lana was awoken in her tent by a maid bearing a large mug filled with a strong herbal tea. Lana levered herself out of her cot and sat on the edge of it while she sipped the stimulating concoction. Knowing that their lady was awake, the rest of her maids swept into the room and went to work on getting Lana ready to meet the day.

After she had finished her tea, and was just being dried off after a quick standing bath, Lana tried to think of what dress she was going to wear today. She wanted something really nice because she had invited Kal-El over to meet her officers while he shared breakfast with them. The problem was, Lana had only ordered a collection of very basic dresses to be packed when she left home, since she had just been thinking about traveling with the army, so she didn't think she'd have anything to wow her prince with.

But Lana hadn't considered the devotion and craftiness of her maids, who had packed a wide array of her more flattering dresses for her _just in case. _Of course, their 'just in case' had meant the chance of her meeting up with her beloved Sir Clark. Her love for the newly minted knight had been an open secret in the Lang household by the time she left on this trip, but seeing how excited their lady was over the impending visit by the prince, her maids privately wondered if Sir Clark had just lost his chance with her. After all, what chance did a simple knight have to compete with the wealth, power, and prestige of the crown prince?

The morning was cool, verging on cold, just one more difficulty for the wounded to deal with, especially those who couldn't move and generate some heat of their own. As small as Lana was, she had to bundle up somewhat to keep from getting chilled. Her maids were a practical sort, and Lana always gave them a fair amount of leeway when it came to making suggestions. In this case, they quickly talked her into wearing the boots and leather pants she'd worn during the battle the day before, as her normal velvet slippers would be ruined in no time and the pants would shield her against cold drafts shooting up whichever dress she wore.

On top of the pants and boots went several layers of shifts, before the bright yellow wool dress itself was pulled on. And to finish things off, the maids had a reasonably thick, tastefully embroidered long brown wool coat with fur trim on standby for their lady, just in case the weather became colder.

Finally ready, and more than eager to get outside to where a somewhat informal breakfast was going to be served, Lana grabbed a thin pair of white gloves, tucked them into the sash of her dress, and left her tent.

A couple of Lana's father's meanest looking veterans followed her, making sure no one treated her in any way other than what a lady of her station deserved, but after her heroics the day before, the men of her camp had nothing but the deepest respect and admiration for their very own 'battle maiden,' and woe betide _any_ man who disrespected her in even the smallest way…including the prince himself.

Kal-El was at his tent, a couple of miles away, _wanting _to dress down for his breakfast with Lana. Just a fine white shirt with billowing sleeves, a pair of close-fitting black knee breeches, and a pair of knee-high black boots were all he wanted, but his valet pointed out that Lady Lana had invited him to eat with her and her top officers. While she might be more than pleased to just meet Kal-El, the valet believed her officers would be expecting to meet the prince, and as such, Kal-El had an obligation to show them what they expected to see, so he pulled on a fresh jacket. This one was royal white, pure as new fallen snow.

It was the first time since Kal-El had left the summer palace all those months ago that he'd pulled on the white and gold of the royal family. It was rather formal in most circumstances, but almost required in military affairs. Just seeing those colors on his body made him wonder about his sister Mara and his parents.

Like Kal-El's other military jackets, this one had a short, stiff standing collar, but while there was plenty of gold brocade on the chest and forearms of the jacket, the collar was plain, so there would be no way to mistake the black and gold dragon's head pin, one on each side of the collar, that denoted his rank. His white sword belt was the last thing he pulled on, before he headed outside to meet with Bruce and the rest of his bodyguard for the short ride to Lana's camp, which was a couple of miles farther upstream.

Bruce had been amused to find himself wearing white also. It wasn't the white and gold of the royal family, but the white jacket with black trim and black knee breeches of the Royal Household Guard. When he'd asked Kal-El about the clothes that had been waiting for him that morning, the prince claimed ignorance, and then the valet spoke up and said, "You are the crown prince's chief bodyguard. As such, you are a member of the Royal Household Guard and entitled to wear the white and black. If I had enough cloth and another two or three decent tailors to help me, I'd have those other ten men in white and black also."

"There is a whole array of court protocols that you are in imminent danger of being required to learn, Bruce," Kal-El said with a wicked grin as they mounted their horses. The prince looked over at Bruce's jacket collar, curious to see what rank his valet had assigned to him, mostly since he didn't have an official rank yet. "Wow. You've made quite an impression on my valet, Bruce."

"How so?" the older man grunted.

"He had no idea of your rank, and guessed you were a major of the Guard. Impressive."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. That high of a rank isn't normally obtained in the guard until a man is forty or so. You're a good ten years early."

"So? We both know the rank is just a goof by a glorified tailor."

"Not anymore," Kal-El said, before shifting from a normal speaking voice to one more suited for a royal herald. "In the name of the king, I, Crown Prince Kal-El of Alemannia, do hereby elevate Sir Bruce Wayne to the rank of major in the Royal Household Guard for services rendered to the royal family during the just ended rebellion."

Kal-El looked over at his bodyguard, who looked as if he'd just been poleaxed. "What do you think about that? It's official now. I'll get some clerks to start the paperwork once we get back to our camp. That's mostly so you can start to collect the new, higher rate of pay to which you are now entitled." Kal-El looked behind them toward his other ten guards. "Don't worry about them either. They're all retired from the service and will be receiving huge additions to their retirement pay if they survive protecting me." Kal-El's eyes turned forward and locked on his distant destination, thinking of the small, vibrant woman who waited there for him. "The crown _always _takes care of those who render it valuable service."

Anxious to get to his lady love, Kal-El set a brisk pace, allowing his horse to canter along once the party had left camp. In no time, the twelve men had reached Lana's camp and were being directed to her small collection of tents. When they arrived, a slew of younger soldiers, acting as horse grooms, rushed out and took the horses as the men dismounted.

No one was foolish enough to get in the way of the prince and his hard-eyed escort. In fact, a wide path opened in front of them, as if by magic, as they approached the Lana's horseshoe-shaped collection of tents and the courtyard in the middle of them.

A number of men were standing there milling around and talking. Most were soberly dressed, but Kal-El's eyes quickly picked out the bright yellow and full skirts of Lana's dress. Seeing her was like feeling the first ray of sunshine on a cold, blustery day. As he watched her circulate amongst her men, stopping here and there to make sure she spent some time with everyone, he noticed how the men perked up during their brief time as the focus of Lady Lang's attention. Here she was, a seventeen year old woman, legally still not an adult, and she had these men, who ranged in age from their early twenties to their mid sixties, hanging on her every word.

Kal-El wondered if Lana knew just how natural she was when it came to working a crowd. It was a highly prized political talent, one he'd seen his parents use time and again to work a roomful of their supporters and yet make each person feel as if they had made a personal connection with the king or the queen.

Kal-El waited at the entrance to the courtyard for his lady to recognize him and invite him in, as if he were nothing more than a messenger she was waiting on. Lana had been checking the entrance every few minutes ever since she had left the relative comfort of her tent, but when her prince did show up, she didn't see him until someone pointed him out to her. Hoping she hadn't kept him waiting long, Lana summoned all of her reserves of strength and willpower, just so she wouldn't fall into Kal-El's arms on the spot, and walked over to greet him properly before introducing him to her men.

Lana stopped just in front of Kal-El and flashed him the most brilliant smile, one which drew a helpless smile in return, before taking a hold of her skirts and dipping into a very low curtsey. "Welcome to our humble camp, your Highness."

Kal-El responded by honoring the heroine of yesterday's battle by bowing as low to her as she had curtseyed to him. "No camp is humble when it is graced by your presence, my Lady."

As they both straightened up, they could hear the murmurs of approval from her men, who_ had_ been concerned the prince might not give their lady the honor she was due. Kal-El took the chance to whisper, "You look…_gorgeous_ today, Lana. Spectacularly so," which caused her to smile wider still and bite the corner of her lower lip.

"You're looking rather handsome yourself." She eyed the ducal signet on his hand and knew there was one thing he was missing from his princely outfit. Hidden from her men, who were all behind her and watching expectantly, she gently pulled the chain from under her dress, which allowed the prince to know where his royal signet had been residing ever since she had received it.

Kal-El's mouth went dry with desire as he realized his ring had been spending a lot of time in between his lady's breasts…a place he privately admitted he was dying to go to himself. "Keep the ring," Kal-El said quietly, "you're not done acting as my representative quite yet. And besides, knowing some part of me is with you always has become increasingly important to me."

As Lana stepped back and waved the prince into the courtyard, she tried to take her formal position one step behind and to the side of the prince, but he wouldn't allow it. To the amazement of all present, except Bruce, Kal-El stopped, took Lana by the hand, and pulled her up to stand by his side, in the position of an equal. That drew more than just a few murmurs from the small but select crowd, as they knew the prince was all but declaring a personal interest in Lady Lana.

The men had already drawn themselves into a long line, with those of the highest rank in front, and Lana spent the next several minutes holding Kal-El's hand and introducing everyone to him as they walked down the line side by side.

Lord Howland, the Count of Albemarle, was in front with an arm in a large sling, the result of a sword slash across his bicep. Eyeing the old man, who had always slightly intimidated him as a child, Kal-El asked, "What are you doing fighting these days, Howland? I honor your steadfast service, but a man of your experience might have served better by being at Lady Lang's side yesterday."

"I'm just restless, your Highness. You're too young to have come to this conclusion, but sitting around at home while waiting to die doesn't appeal to me. I want to _live_ the last years of my life, not merely watch them pass me by."

Kal-El nodded his head. "Rare is the warrior who wants to die of old age…but it looks like your skills have kept you alive to fight another day." Then a smirk rolled across Kal-El's face. "Maybe you need a new wife to keep you busy."

Howland grinned, not daring to even venture a look at Lady Lang now, not when she so clearly had the prince's favor. "Second best place for a warrior to die, your Highness."

"Where's that?"

Howland started to speak, eyed Lana once, and thought better of what he had been about to say. Instead he said, "I forgot you _are_ still unmarried. Otherwise you would not need to ask."

Once Lana had introduced the prince to everyone present, the array of cooks that had been drafted for this meal presented their simple but hot and delicious fare on a few tables to one side of the courtyard. The food was served buffet style, with everyone waiting on the prince to go first; he in turn signaled for Lana to precede him in line. It was a gesture that was perfectly normal for a gentleman to make toward a lady, but for a prince to allow someone of Lana's rank to go first was another honor; a definite mark of his esteem. Kal-El left it for the crowd to decide whether it was his official approval of her or his personal approval. The correct answer, of course, was that it was both.

Breakfast was spent rehashing the previous day's events, as everyone came up to Kal-El and Lana in small groups to chat about their part in the battle. Given that most people tended to slightly over-inflate their own role in what happened, Kal-El was able to gain a clearer understanding of exactly what _had _happened on Lana's end of the fight.

When he'd learned enough, he begged for some privacy and pulled Lana to one side, before casting a silence spell to ensure they weren't overheard. "I am _so_ proud of you and what you accomplished yesterday, Lana. But if you ever ride out into the midst of a battle like that again…" Kal ran a hand through his short, slightly wavy ebon locks as he tried to find the right words.

Lana knew what he meant, and before he could say anything more, she replied, "Then make sure I never _have_ to."

That caused Kal-El to stop for a second and then breakout in a big grin. "I shall do my best." His grin, however, faded as he went on. "I thought I was going to just _die_ when I saw you ride down that ridge yesterday." His hand reached up just enough for his index finger to trace the line of her jaw from her ear to the tip of her chin. Lana unconsciously fluttered her eyes closed and leaned into his touch. "They say you never know how important something is to you until you're about to lose it. You scared me, Lana, scared me to death."

Lana drew in closer, raising a hand to clasp the hand of his that had just been touching her face, and looked up at her prince. "I'm sorry, Kal-El. I truly am. I did what had to be done, and I'm not apologizing for _that,_ but I know it had to be scary for you. I never meant to cause anyone any pain, you least of all."

"I know you didn't." A range of thoughts whirled through Kal-El's mind just then, all of them having to do with Lana. "I wonder if you know how much your life has changed in the last day."

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday, at this time, you were waiting in the pass to help ambush General Zod, and hoping Sir Clark of Kent would survive the battle and marry you…today, you know Sir Clark is really Crown Prince Kal-El, who _still_ wants to marry you, General Zod is dead, and you're the biggest hero of the entire war."

"Ehh…no one will believe it. Knowing the way our people are, they'll assume some man did the big deed, like whoever killed Zod."

"Au contraire! Word of something like this will spread like wildfire, with each retelling of the story being a shade more outlandish than the last one. Within a week, people three hundred miles of here will know your name, but they'll _swear_ you killed a dozen knights all by yourself, in addition to having changed a rout into a winning counterattack."

Appalled, Lana said, "You're kidding me."

"No. Not at all. And not only will they inflate your _deeds,_ but they may inflate your size. They may add half a foot to your height and fifty pounds to your weight, just to make the story of you killing all those knights sound more plausible. People will be singing the praises of the Warrior Maiden of Roskilde from one end of the kingdom to the other in no time."

"Now you're just making fun of me," Lana said, as she clearly didn't believe Kal-El's story of her impending fame.

"I may make fun of you from time to time, and you will likely do the same to me, but right now I'm serious. You'll be the most famous woman in the land before the end of the year."

Not quite ready to become a household name, Lana tried to latch onto anything Kal-El had said that could redirect their conversation. "Y-you…I…I heard you say that General Zod is dead. How did that happen? Who did it? I thought Zod was supposed to be this great warrior."

Kal-El nodded sadly. "He was…once. In his day, no one could hope to match Zod with a sword in his hands. But yesterday, he was older, slower, and when the battle was lost, I believe he wanted an honorable end, wanted to 'die with his boots on' so to speak, sooooo…he sought me out."

"Wait a minute," Lana said, "you mean to say you killed Zod in single combat?" She sounded pleased, even proud, that her intended had been the one.

"Don't…don't be that way. Please, not you."

"What?" Lana _was_ proud of Kal-El, but also puzzled, since he seemed to be anything but excited.

"I defeated him, it's true. But he only died as a result of his crimes, and because it would have been too risky to try to take him to my parents." Kal-El breathed in deeply and then sighed. "So I presided over a one-man session of court and condemned him to death for high treason. Then I executed him." Kal-El looked at Lana, as serious as could be, and said, "Defeating Zod _is_ something to smile about, Lana, but killing him isn't. Anyone can be a killer, all it takes is a lack of conscience, a lack of that little something that makes us all human."

Lana leaned in close and gave Kal-El a one-armed hug, and if it wasn't for the curious crowd of nobles nearby, she would have converted that to a warm kiss. "Will it bother you terribly if I tell you that I'm even more proud of you now that I know how hard it was for you to kill him?"

Kal-El smiled ever so slightly.

"I realize that when you saved me and my dressmaker back in Krakovia, you _had _to kill all of the attackers because leaving any of them alive would have risked our lives. Even then, I noted your lack of joy at what you had done. Your only happiness was because we were safe. I'm sorry you had to kill on my behalf, Kal-El. That's a burden no one should have to bear." Lana took his hands into hers. "But if you ever feel the need to talk about it, the need to relieve some of that burden, I'll be ready to listen. I will always be here to help you."


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Mawigge…that bwessed awaingement…

Kal-El spent the rest of the morning with Lana and her people. He had a couple of reasons: first, he wanted to make sure they knew their contributions to the battle were recognized and would be rewarded when it came time to divvy up the spoils after the war; and second, he'd use any excuse to steal a few more hours with Lana.

Kal-El managed to stay in Lana's camp right through lunch, which was a private affair for just the two of them, with only one of Lana's maids in attendance to serve the food and to attest that nothing happened that would damage Lana's reputation.

Bruce got something to eat with the rest of Kal-El's bodyguard and then took up position just outside the tent the prince and his lady were eating in, though he thought his job for the _moment_ was more to protect Kal-El and Lana's privacy than to protect Kal-El's life. And to make sure even the maid didn't know what they were saying, Kal-El cast a silence spell at the last moment

The food wasn't fancy, but that didn't matter, as the exquisite company was what they were both interested in anyway. Lana played with her food, while Kal-El flat out ignored his as they sipped warming drinks and talked, allowing themselves to pretend for a short while that they had no cares besides each other.

Lana spoke of missing her family terribly, far more than she would have supposed. She wanted nothing more than to wake up the next morning to the sounds of her sisters getting ready to meet the new day. She wanted to go down to breakfast and find her father waiting for her with a warm smile and a kiss on the cheek.

She'd never told anyone else, but she let Kal-El know just how scared she had been since beginning the march east from Roskilde. She'd worried a _lot_ about making a mistake that might cost some of her soldiers their lives, and in her mind, the feeling had only been magnified by the fact that she would never be called upon to enter the battle herself.

"You don't like the idea of asking others to do something for you like that, when you won't be there to share in the danger, do you?" Kal-El said. It was a rhetorical question, one that Lana only responded to by nodding her head in agreement. "Good commanders tend to be that way, Lana. They prefer to lead by example. I'm convinced you're a very good commander…and if you ever got the necessary training in tactics and strategy, you could be one of our best generals."

"_That_ will never happen," Lana said, in a calm, self-assured tone of voice. "I don't want it, and the people of our kingdom just aren't ready for 'Lana, Warrior Princess.'"

Lana's matter-of-fact reply made Kal-El happier than she knew. Just by saying 'Lana, Warrior Princess,' she'd told him she accepted his formerly hidden rank, and their current situation, and wanted to marry him anyway. "Maybe the people aren't ready for it, but I am. I can't _wait_ until the day Lady Lana Lang becomes Her Royal Highness, Princess Lana-El."

Lana blushed prettily and looked down at her toes to collect her thoughts before looking up into Kal-El's sea green eyes. "I want that, too, Kal. More than anything."

The two young lovers found themselves falling deeper and deeper into the depthless pools that were each other's eyes, and neither one wanted to be the one who looked away first. As that one moment stretched into many, neither one could find the words to express the feelings that were racing back and forth between them, and both were surprised to find that words weren't needed. Kal-El reached has hands halfway across the small table he and Lana were sharing, and she immediately pressed her hands into his.

Looking for _something_ to say, Kal fought a suddenly dry throat and managed to croak out, "Kal, huh?"

It took Lana a moment to remember what he was talking about, but when she did, she smiled softly, _shyly, _and replied, "Yes. 'Kal-El' is rather formal, and I think we're well past that stage…don't you?"

Kal-El rolled his tongue across the length of his lower lip to wet it and then rubbed his lips together to spread the moisture as evenly as he could before he said, "Kal." Hearing Lana say just his first name had surprised him at first, as it had been a long time since anyone had called him Kal. Before the war that privilege had been limited to his sister Mara and her ladies in waiting, but hearing Lana say it felt deeply personal to him. "Kal…I think I can live with that."

Still holding hands, the two of them grinned like they couldn't _quite _believe this was happening to them. They'd grown up believing they would marry to fulfill the needs of their families, and that any happiness in their marriages would be purely accidental. But now that they'd found each other, an arranged marriage wouldn't be good enough. They _had_ to marry each other.

Neither would settle for anything less.

After they reluctantly ended their lunch, Kal-El went to his horse to return to his camp. Lana came with him to see him off, and just before he climbed into the saddle, he turned to her and said, "I'm going to have a meeting tonight after the evening meal to tell everyone their roles as we wind down this campaign. I'd like it if you were there and would bring Lord Howland with you. You're both invited for the meal." Mentioning a meal brought something else to mind. "When can we expect the first wagon train of supplies from your base? I think Zod's men will be out of food in a couple of days, and we might have trouble feeding them all after that."

Kal-El had expected a troubled or worried look from Lana, but instead, she smiled widely. "I wondered when you were going to get around to remembering the supplies. As it so happens, the first load of supplies should be rolling down this side of the mountain pass sometime this afternoon."

"But…but how? It's a four-day trip to clear the pass, at least it should be for a supply train."

"Because, your Highness, I ordered my people at the supply base to prepare a full load of supplies and send it through the pass two days after the army left. So they should be here sometime today."

Kal-El grabbed Lana lightly by the shoulders. "Is it wrong for a prince to want to kiss one of his primary commanders because of sheer competence?"

"No," Lana said, "not as long as that commander is me."

Lana puckered up and Kal-El darted in for what he had thought would be a quick kiss, but his raging hormones and the exquisite taste of her lips combined to suck him in for something longer and more passionate. They might have gone on kissing for quite some time, had the few common soldiers nearby not started cheering lustily.

Embarrassment ruled as the prince and his lady love moved apart, with Kal-El mounting his horse before looking at Lana one last time, as he said, "I'll see you tonight, Lana. Remember it. We won't start the meal without you."

"I'll be there…and so will Howland." Lana was just about to let him go when she thought of something else. "Oh, one more thing, Kal. When that supply train shows up, please have someone send word up here, I'll want to talk to the man in charge."

"Will do, Lana."

While Kal-El and Lana were planning a smooth transition for the soldiers from war to peace, Kal-El's sister Mara was worried about the war she thought was still going on. The island kingdom of Anglia was a good three weeks away from Alemannia, and thus the information brought by merchants was always behind times. And _that _was before the information had to make the long trek inland to whichever castle the royal court was staying in at the time.

King Richard and his court had just relocated for the winter months to a castle in the far south of Anglia, relatively close to the seashore. Mara and her ladies were accorded surprisingly spacious apartments, and when they asked about trying to heat those large rooms during the winter, they were told the fireplaces in the rooms were more than enough to keep them warm, as the south of the kingdom stayed fairly warm the whole year around.

Cold weather didn't bother Mara, but she liked being where they were because it put her much closer to the coast and to any new information that might come from home. The last concrete information she'd received had been that her brother had come out of hiding and had taken a place at the head of the loyalist army. As for her parents, the king and queen were variously reported to be in one of several castles, but no one reliable had seen them since they'd fled the summer palace.

The lack of news concerning her parents didn't concern Mara too much, as she supposed that no news was good news. To her it meant they were still alive and out of Zod's control.

The news about her brother, however, concerned her a lot. Mara knew Kal-El had left the palace before she had, and she had to assume he was being sent away for security purposes like she had been. The fact that he had come out of hiding worried her since she knew he was putting himself in danger, but at the same time, she was proud to know her brother was marching off to uphold the family's honor.

On this day, Mara was standing on top of the highest tower in the castle, leaning on the parapet, in between a pair of merlons, as she watched the sun set over a range of distant hills. The sky was a riot of pastels spreading out in nearly horizontal bands from the glowing orange ball that was sinking beneath the horizon. Pink, orange, lavender, lemon yellow, they were all there…but despite the beauty of the display, Mara's focus was still on her distant family.

Part of her was frustrated that she was stuck here, while her brother risked everything to defend the family. That part wanted to fly home and help. She knew she wouldn't be allowed near the fighting, but she knew not all of the lords in Alemannia had joined the war yet and she thought she could use her powers of persuasion to convince some of them to join the war on her family's side.

But Mara was a dutiful daughter and would stay where her parents had placed her. In any case, she was responsible for her ladies in waiting and couldn't leave them behind. Feeling isolated, and annoyed by her powerlessness to help back home, Mara watched the sun finish its slide below the horizon, and nearly jumped when she heard a man clear his throat just a few feet behind her.

"Don't turn around on my account, Mara, or you'll miss the best part," the man's voice said. She had flinched and turned halfway around before she recognized the voice as belonging to the king, or as she called him privately, Richard. "You see, the sun's gone now, but its light is still seeping over the horizon. The colors are still there, a rearguard defending the last little corner of the sky, but soon enough they'll finish their retreat, causing the sky to drape itself in black as it mourns the passing of the light."

"That sounds so sad," Mara said, as Richard walked up behind her and held her lightly by the shoulders.

"It is," Richard whispered, nearly brushing her ear with his lips, "but the thing is, the story has a happy ending."

"Tell me," Mara said, as she allowed herself to lean back into him.

When he felt her relax, he wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. "The palest pinks, blues, and oranges creep into the East, heralding the coming of the light, and we'll watch with bated breath as it storms across the sky, chasing away the night."

"But the night comes back."

"True. It does. But secretly, I believe the night never _actually_ defeats the light."

"Oh no?"

"No. I think the light just chooses to rest when our work for the day is done, and then it comes back full force when we wake and need it again."

"I like that idea: the light is always there when we need it, kind of like my brother Kal," Mara said softly. Then, looking over her shoulder at the man who'd long since captured her heart, she smirked and asked, "Did you just make that up, or is that some kind of Anglian legend?"

"I'm not telling," Richard responded, just before he stole a quick kiss from his lady love. "It would ruin a perfectly good story if I said I made it up. On the other hand, I _would_ get credit for thinking on my feet."

Mara turned in Richard's arms to face him, with their lips only inches apart. "I think it doesn't really matter, as your _intent_ was to distract me from my thoughts."

"And so it was. You _do_ tend to find a quiet place to worry every time we get word from your homeland." He lifted one hand to her face and delicately traced her lips with the tip of one finger. "I know all sorts of ways to distract you now that your lips are within reach."

Mara kissed Richard back, full on the lips, and allowed her lips to linger when she was through. His lips were seared by the heat of her touch, and whatever thoughts he had been thinking floated away like so much dust.

As his mouth flopped open, Mara snickered quietly, and said, "What was that _you_ were saying about distracting _me?"_

"I…I have no idea. The only thought left in my head after that kiss…is that I love you."

Mara sighed and snuggled against Richard's chest. "I love you, too."

"I know you have personal reasons for wanting the war over and your parents back on their thrones," Richard said, "but am I being too selfish when I wish for the same thing so I can take you home and press my suit for your hand in marriage?"

"Not…at…_all," _Mara admitted. "I want me to be your queen as much as you do. We just have to hope father hasn't promised me to someone in exchange for helping to defeat Zod."


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Marching Orders

Kal-El and Lana had full days ahead of them. Dax-Ur and the prince still needed to finalize plans for releasing the prisoners, and Lana was busy overseeing her wounded, along with collecting final reports on the number of dead and wounded from her various commanders, which would then be compiled and presented to the prince at the meeting after the evening meal.

An hour before she planned to ride over to Kal-El's encampment, Lana sent a note to Lord Howland, informing him that the prince had requested his presence at dinner. The older lord arrived well in advance of when he was scheduled to and the two of them rode off, with a suitably large escort.

When they arrived at Kal-El's tent complex, Lana was pleased to find a mounting block waiting for her to use in dismounting her horse, and was even more pleased to find her prince waiting to help her. They walked hand-in-hand into the tent where dinner was going to be served, with a politely bemused Lord Howland a short distance behind them. As pleased as she was to see Kal-El waiting for her, she was just as pleased to find the tent they were going to use had a bronze brazier filled with glowing coals in each corner of the tent to help keep it reasonably warm.

As Howland entered behind them, she noticed him rubbing his injured arm. The arm had been bothering him somewhat all day long, mostly because he kept using it instead of leaving it in its sling, but he refused to let any of the Kryptonians use a healing spell on him until all of the injured troops had been seen to first. Lana admired the man for his concern for the welfare of his men, but if this kept up another day or two, she planned on ordering him to submit to treatment.

Kal-El was in the middle of introducing Lana and Howland around the room to his various commanders, when Dax-Ur and his daughter Ingrid walked in. She was used to being the center of male attention in any room she happened to be in, not because she was obnoxious or full of herself, but just because it was actually the truth.

Today she knew things were different almost instantly. Instead of the younger men in the room making an almost unconscious move in her direction, she saw them looking out of the side of their eyes toward one particular corner. Following their eyes, she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a small, slender beauty working the room while on the arm of Prince Kal-El.

She'd heard all about the heroic Lady Lang the day before, but this was her first close-up view, and all she had to do was see the way the prince, _her _prince, doted on Lady Lang to know she now had serious competition to become the next princess. She turned slightly to her father and nudged him in the prince's direction to make sure he saw the scene being played out at the other end of the tent.

Dax-Ur had already seen Kal-El and Lana together, and so he wasn't surprised by what he saw. "I know what you're thinking, Daughter," Dax-Ur said quietly, "but don't worry, that young woman is no competition for a daughter of mine."

"Well, maybe you failed to make note of the way they move together," Ingrid hissed. "It's almost like they're one person. _They're obviously in love."_

Keeping his voice low, Dax-Ur replied, "So? When has that _ever _mattered in royal marriages? This Lady Lang would be a serious contender if her family had more rank, but as it now stands, she has less chance of marrying the prince than _I_ do." That comment earned the intended giggle from his daughter, whom he did not want to be surly when she saw the prince again. "I _will_ say it _is_ very possible that this Lady Lana Lang may be the prince's first mistress."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. Her father marries her off to some minor noble, who will then be called to court by the prince, and when his new wife ends up sliding into bed with the prince, her husband will be thrilled to be cuckolded, as he will soon be receiving rich royal appointments and other favors." Dax-Ur eyed his daughter sharply. "But you already know all this…or else your mother has been remiss when it came to your practical education of the workings of the court."

"No father," Ingrid admitted, "I've been told how things tend to work." She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "It's just that I've always hoped I could win my husband's love. I detest the very idea of having to share _my_ man with some other woman. _Especially_ when that woman has a claim on his heart."

"I think you'll get another chance to impress the prince very soon." Ingrid eyed her father closely, as he said, "Since Kal-El needs to find his parents, who we believe are holed up in the Duke of Salzerei's castle, he'll have to march north to get out of this valley, and then southeast to close on Salzerei.

"At the same time, Lady Lang and her forces will be marching west, back over the pass to her home, because they will be in charge of the prisoners. Once they've been given a decent amount of food to get them on their way home, they'll be released to march home, unarmed, under the command of their own nobles. And _that_ will put many miles and two small mountain ranges between her and Kal-El. Happy now?"

Seeing that her rival would soon be gone, Ingrid _was_ happier. "Very much so, Father. Thank you." Still, when Kal-El and Lana completed their circuit of the room, they finished in front Dax-Ur and his daughter, and as the two women were being introduced to each other, Lana was quick to pick up on the fact that she was meeting her first serious rival for her prince's hand.

Kal-El was standing between the ladies, and suddenly had the feeling that he was standing between two strange cats, who were ready to start hissing, biting, and clawing each other at the slightest provocation.

"What was that all about?" Kal-El asked quietly, as he led Lana away to her seat of honor at his right hand.

"You," she said simply. When Kal-El gave her a look that plainly said, _What did I do?_ Lana felt the need to elaborate. "She wants you, Kal, and she knows _I _want you, too. And when two women want the same man…"

Kal-El shivered, having seen just what Lana was talking about actually happen, in both of his family's royal palaces. "Maybe I can make it clear this is not the time or place for her to try anything."

"Don't worry about it, Kal," Lana said, as she stopped and turned to face him. When he followed suit, she began to straighten the lapels of his jacket. "You and I both know you're mine, so she can just sit there and lust after you all she wants, because it just doesn't matter."

"I think you're missing the point. Ingrid intends to marry me, _whether or not _you and I are in love, whether or not _she and I _are in love," Kal-El grumped. "Don't get me wrong, I think Ingrid _likes_ me well enough, but love doesn't factor into the equation for her. She just sees this as a business transaction, a means to an end, namely a crown for her and the influence that comes with it. She'll spend more time with my parents, trying to win them over, than she will with me." The reminder that he did not control his own marriage didn't sit well with the Kal-El, who scowled as he seated Lana and then took the seat at the head of the table for himself.

The table was a short rectangle, and Dax-Ur took the seat at the other end for himself, after seating his daughter at his right hand. That put the two rivals where they could see each other, but each pretended the other wasn't even there.

As host, Kal-El felt the need to draw everyone into at least a brief conversation with him, so he couldn't let Lana monopolize his time, no matter how much he might want to. His way of making sure everyone got to talk, however, was to go around the room and have everyone tell their personal story of the battle. Knowing Lana had the biggest story to tell, and wanting her to have center stage, Kal-El had started on his left and worked his way around the table, ending with her.

It was an interesting collection of tales, as each person had been in a different location, and thus had a completely different set of experiences. But when those tales were patched together, a much clearer picture of how things had actually happened began to take place.

Finally, it was Lana's turn to speak. Once she'd realized what Kal-El was doing, she'd been thinking over her role in the battle, thinking of how she could hope to describe it.

And then it was her turn.

Everyone, with the single exception of Ingrid, wanted to hear Lana's account of her part in the battle. Even Lord Howland hadn't heard the details yet, though he had experienced the sea change in the army's morale that had occurred when she had stormed down the ridge.

"In history books," Lana said, speaking quietly and carefully, "battles always seem so clear and precise, but now I know differently." Everyone present except for Ingrid nodded their heads in understanding. "I didn't expect to have anything to do other than watch once my troops headed down the ridge, but things quickly started going wrong.

"It became clear to my bannerman that my troops were headed for a trap, but they had no honorable way out of the trap without going down there and fighting first. Over the next hour or so of time, I watched closely as my bannerman pointed out various tactics being used by both sides. The spectacle would have been exciting to watch, had I not known that men I had led here were being wounded and killed." The men could see just how sincere Lana was, and they appreciated how seriously she was taking their sacrifices.

"And then came the retreat, which quickly devolved into a rout. I had been so proud of my men up until that point, but seeing them _run_ from the field of battle, instead of a slow, controlled withdrawal, was more than I could take. The prince had expressly forbidden me to leave that ridge top, but I was so mad that I left anyway." Lana took a small sip of her beer, just enough to wet her lips, and went on. "I was just trying to stop the headlong retreat and get the men organized, but the farther forward I moved, the more the men began to stop and then turn around to follow me back into the fight. The only thing that I can think of was that my presence shamed the men back into line."

Lord Howland added a bit when Lana seemed to falter. "You all can appreciate our consternation when we saw the lady and her implacable advance. But she had brought back our soldiers, and had made them remember what it meant to be a man.

"Fear and wonder.

"That's what I felt when I saw Lady Lana coming our way. And then she made another contribution that was just as big as keeping the men from retreating: when we started to reorganize the troops into their separate units, she stopped us and commanded that we just throw them into line, in some semblance of order, and get moving as there was no time to waste. Lady Lana was right. She saved the day, _twice,_ and is the main reason the rest of us are alive to talk about it."

Lord Howland stood then and grabbed his stein. "I propose we a toast to Lady Lana and her unmatched valor." Every man in the room rose from his seat, with his stein in hand. Following the prince's lead, the men raised their steins as one and said, "To Lady Lana!" before taking a stiff drink of dark beer and reclaiming their seats.

Lana blushed furiously from embarrassment, while Ingrid slumped back in her chair and sulked. "Thank you, gentlemen," Lana said, when she could finally talk.

One thing Kal-El appreciated about being in camp instead of in the palace was that dinner wasn't going to be a long, drawn out affair with multiple courses of food. All they'd had to deal with tonight was a clear soup, a crispy fowl dish, and a simple dessert made of sweet cornbread dusted with sugar. When the meal was over and the plates were cleared away, except for refilled steins of dark beer, the commanders finally got down to business.

The meeting was fairly brief, for a staff meeting anyway, as Dax-Ur doled out the marching order for his army so there weren't any traffic jams from too many soldiers trying to use the same piece of road at the same time. His army was to head north to clear the valley they were in, and then southeast toward Salzerei and the anticipated rescue of the king and queen.

Kal-El took over when it came time to give the orders for Lana's army. After accounting for the dead, wounded, and the missing, she had roughly 10,000 effective soldiers left out of her original 15,000.

"Lady Lana," Kal-El said, being formal due to the nature of the meeting, "we've tasked your army with marching back over the pass. In doing so, you have two separate missions. First, escort the wounded to Roskilde where they will be able to receive proper shelter and will be close to the bountiful supplies you and your lord father have done so well to accumulate. Second, escort the unarmed prisoners to Roskilde, also. Once there, each unit of the prisoners are to be given enough in the way of supplies to make it back to the more populated sections of the country. Their own officers will be responsible for resupplying from their own bank accounts the rest of the way home.

"In Roskilde, it is our opinion that you will have enough on your hands with running both the supply base and caring for the wounded, which is why Lord Howland was asked here tonight." Upon hearing his name, Lord Howland sat up straight. "Howland, you will take charge of the prisoners once they reach Roskilde, deciding which unit leaves when. Make sure to spread out their departures, but don't keep them around so long that they become a burden on Lady Lana's people or lands." Both Lana and Lord Howland nodded their understanding of their orders, and the meeting broke up.

Lana stayed behind, after telling Howland to take his escort and return to camp. Her own escort would stay and wait for her, as she had a few more things to discuss with the prince. Having seen the prince and the lady together, Howland was under no illusions as to what those 'few more things' might be; he knew very well that Lady Lana and Prince Kal-El were a love match, a match that would have to struggle against the needs of the kingdom to survive.

When the room was empty except for them, Kal-El made sure the tent flaps were wide open to protect Lana's reputation, but he stationed a pair of nasty guards at the entrance to keep anyone from getting close enough to listen. Once those precautions had been taken, Kal-El turned to find Lana staring at him from the other side of the tent.

"So, you knew this morning that you would be sending me away," Lana said, wasting no time by getting directly to the point.

"Yeah, I did," Kal-El admitted.

Lana made no move to draw closer to him. "What? Didn't you think I was strong enough to handle the knowledge?"

"I knew you were strong enough. I never doubted it for a second."

"Then why…?"

"…didn't I tell you?" Lana nodded firmly. "Knowing that we'd just gotten back together and would have to go our separate ways so soon was tearing me up inside. I'd do anything, _risk_ anything, including your wrath, if I could keep that pain from you for a few more hours. So, I chose to keep the information from you until you needed to know it, and I'm glad I did."

Lana wasn't happy about what Kal-El had done, even though she fully understood his reasoning. "Kal? I know why you did it, and I might even have done it myself had the circumstances been reversed, but please don't do it again. You don't have to mollycoddle me. I'm strong. I can take it. Telling me early may make me hurt longer, but it also gives me more time to deal with the information and come to terms with it."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"Then…I guess I'm sorry, Lana. I just wanted to make our looming separation a bit easier for you. I didn't think you might prefer to know sooner." He looked over at her. "Forgive me?"

Lana began to close the distance between them and smiled. "Of course. What girl could hope to resist such an earnestly sweet apology?"

Clark reached out to take her hands. "I _am_ sorry."

Lana allowed him to pull her in close against his chest, where she instinctively nestled the side of her face against his collarbone and under his chin. "I'm sorry, too."

"Whatever for?"

"I never did apologize for calling you a coward in front of my family and our servants back in Krakovia. Admittedly, I didn't know everything, but I assumed the worst when I should have known you well enough to assume the best, and in the process, I humiliated you. I'm _so_ sorry, Kal."

Kal-El could hear his beloved sniffle and sob against his chest, and his instincts led him to draw her in more tightly against him.

"You have nothing for which you need be ashamed, Lana." He paused until he was sure he had her full attention. "I _was_ angry with you for days after I left you, but that was my fault. I had some growing up to do. But once I realized I had given you _just_ enough information to come to the wrong conclusion, I decided I had to stop blaming you."

"Soooooo…we both screwed up?" Lana asked, a hopeful sound in her voice.

Kal-El pressed his lips to her forehead. "Yeah. We both did. We're in love, but we have a long way to go to learn each other as well as we need to."

"Mmm…" Lana purred into his shoulder. "That's a course of study I _long_ to undertake." They stood there, quietly holding each other for a long moment, before Lana said, "Pick me up."

Wondering what had gotten under her saddle, Kal did as requested and gently lifted Lana with a hand securely placed on either side of her waist. When her mouth neared his, she murmured, "This will do," and leaned in for lingering kiss.

"You have the best ideas," Kal-El said, after her impossibly soft lips finally released his. "What else do you want to know about me besides how I kiss?"

"Eventually?" Lana asked. "_Everything. _But right _now_ I'll settle for another demonstration of the way your lips and tongue move together against mine."


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Remembered Pain

The next morning, Lana was up _early_ as she had to hold a brief staff meeting to make sure everyone knew the marching order of the troops and the prisoners. Even though Lord Howland wasn't scheduled to take over the command of the prisoners until her troops reached Roskilde, Lana wanted him to effectively take charge of them now, so there wouldn't be any confusion later, and so she could concentrate on making the trip as painless as possible for the wounded. The meeting broke up just in time for all the officers present to wolf down a hurried breakfast before they were scheduled to return to their commands and begin getting them on the road.

Kal-El had gotten up early in the morning as well, even though he didn't have a meeting to attend, which allowed a leisurely breakfast for him and Bruce. As they ate, Bruce noticed his young charge kept looking off in the direction of Lana's camp which was a couple of miles in the distance. He remembered _his_ first love, and how nothing else seemed to matter very much when she was near, and smiled quietly into his tin cup of water to keep his prince from seeing him, for fear his prince would see the smile and misinterpret it as a mocking one.

Yes, Bruce remembered his Claudia. He remembered her beauty, warm smiles, hot temper, and even hotter kisses when they made up. But as always when remembering Claudia Eberhardt, the farmer's daughter, Bruce ended up by remembering her end.

He had just been knighted at the end of the long and arduous process that had started for him at age seven and ended shortly after his twentieth birthday, and had been accepted as a household knight by Lord Kemmering. The pay wasn't_ huge,_ but it had been more than enough to properly support a wife and family, and nothing would do but that he rush off and propose marriage at that very moment. Bruce knew Claudia's father had been opposed to him courting his daughter, but he believed the old man would come around now that he had completed his training and become a man of means and respect.

Oh, how wrong he'd been.

Ralf Eberhardt had been a mean, lonely old man since his wife died several years before. His one consolation had been his daughter, who had taken up her mother's job of running the family home. Cooking, cleaning, making thread and yarn, and from there, making cloth and clothing…Claudia did it all, and did it without complaint. Ralf had found himself reasonably content with his day-to-day existence, as long as Claudia was there with him.

While not all of the local boys were interested in a girl with Claudia's fiery temperament, enough were attracted that she had a steady stream of hopeful suitors. Ralf, however, had turned down each and every one as being not good enough for his Claudia. As far as he was concerned, no one would ever be good enough for her, which would keep her trapped on the farm with him until he died.

Ralf hadn't counted on his only daughter attracting attention from the nearby castle, but during a local festival in town, a squire from the castle had been smitten and had pursued her whenever his responsibilities had allowed. Ralf didn't dare say that a knight-in-training wasn't good enough, as that would invite a harsh response from the local lord, so he watched with resentment and growing bitterness as the squire stole his daughter from him bit by bit.

The resentment and bitterness reached it's peak when the newly knighted Sir Bruce came to his small farmhouse to ask Ralf for Claudia's hand in marriage. The idea that he would finally lose his daughter was more than Ralf could take, so the embittered old man plotted and planned, and when Bruce came back on the following Saturday with a borrowed carriage, to take Claudia to a simple wedding service at the church in town, Ralf struck her down with the slice of a heavy-bladed cleaver across her belly, cackling wildly as he proclaimed that if his daughter could not live with him, she could not live with anyone at all.

Dressed in his wedding clothes, a horrified Bruce reacted instantly and cut down the old man right where he stood. Ralf was dead, and both Bruce and Claudia knew she would soon follow. Despite her cries of pain, Bruce helped her to her bed and laid her out. Her dress was already soaked with blood from her abdomen, and he tried so very hard to be her strength as they talked of the life they had planned to build, but as she bravely faced her impending death, he was the one who'd broken down and cried.

A large part of Sir Bruce Wayne died that day. The warm, intelligent, and witty young man, whose tongue was as sharp as his sword, withdrew into a shell. With his heart confined in a world of misery and pain, the warmth and wit disappeared, leaving only his smarts and his martial skills to build a life with. It had been an unsurprisingly solitary life to this point, but a blunt, beautiful, fiery tempered young woman had recently cracked his shell, and the barest trickle of love was worming its way inside his heart for the first time in ten years.

"Don't let her go without telling her you love her," Bruce said, his emotion-thickened voice startling Kal-El out of his reverie.

"What was that?"

"You heard me," Bruce replied. "Tell her every chance you get. You never know which chance might be your last."

"Thanks for that ray of sunshine, Bruce," Kal-El said. "Got any more fun little tidbits to share with me?"

"Do I look like I'm having fun?" a testy Bruce shot back. "I'm serious. You never know what might happen, or when." Kal-El raised his eyebrows, wondering where the Hell this had come from. "Go on, go tell her before she's gone."

Kal-El nodded his head slowly as he warmed to the idea. "You know, I think I'll do just that. I just wish I could put my hands on some irises."

"Irises?"

"Yeah," Kal-El smiled, "they're her favorite flowers." He stepped outside and gave orders for his horse to be saddled and brought to him, and then gave an order for his bodyguard to be ready to ride with him once he was ready. When Bruce didn't come out and give similar order for his own horse, Kal-El stepped back inside. "Aren't you coming along?"

"No, I don't think so." Bruce took a seat a Kal-El's travel desk and dug out a pen, ink, and paper. "I think I need to take my own advice, and take the time to write a letter."

"If you hurry, I can have it delivered to Lana so she can have it sent on once she reaches Roskilde. That should still be the fastest way, since it will probably take several more days for the Royal Mail Service to get back into action." Kal-El left the tent, headed for Lana's, just as Bruce set pen to paper.

Kal-El arrived at the edge of Lana's camp as the tents were being broken down and stowed in the proper wagons of her army's wagon train. The place was an organized madhouse, so Kal-El had his bodyguard form a wedge in front of him and then proceed at a walk to clear the bodies from his path. When they reached Lana's tents, all were collapsed and being folded up, with the exception of one.

One of her maids saw the prince and scurried off to find her mistress. "Lady Lana, Lady Lana!" the maid said, "the prince is here!" And as Lana's head popped up from the map she was looking at, the maid added with a wink, "Or should I call him Sir Clark?"

"Finally noticed, did you?" Lana smirked, as she straightened her dress with the maid's able assistance.

"Actually, we noticed yesterday when the prince came for breakfast, but we were all flabbergasted. No one could believe it." The maid smoothed the dress over Lana's hips before pronouncing her as being ready. "Such a catch, Milady. _Such_ a catch! Your sisters will be green with envy, and your lord father will be so proud."

"Father already knows," Lana replied evenly. "As for my sisters, Alicia will be envious that I'm involved with the prince, while Lois will be envious that I got to take part in the battle."

Proud of her lady's contribution, the maid said, "You did more than just participate, Lady Lana. You're a heroine!"

"That's what they say…" Lana said, as she headed outside to avoid having to talk about her role in the battle. Standing there, a few feet away from her tent flap, was Kal, _her _Kal.

"_There_ you are," Kal-El breathed. "I was beginning to think you had ridden on ahead."

"Not yet," Lana slipped her hands into Kal-El's. "I see my good luck is still holding."

Kal-El kissed the knuckles on the back of each hand. He then eyed her hands before eyeing her face. "That's just not good enough, is it?"

"I _was _hoping for something more," Lana admitted. She was looking for a deeper, hotter kiss. What she got was every bit as good.

Kal-El gazed into her eyes, rooting her to the spot. "I love you, Lana Lang. Never doubt it."

"I know you do, Kal. I can feel it when you look at me, when you touch me, and most especially, when you _kiss_ me." Lana stretched up on her toes, puckered her lips, and left no doubt what she wanted. It just so happened that Kal-El wanted that, too. He lowered his lips to hers, and their eyes fluttered closed as their lips brushed up against each other. Once…twice…three times their lips brushed before Kal-El tilted his head to one side and deepened the kiss. Lana could feel him nibbling on her upper lip and then sliding his tongue into her mouth in search of its mate.

They might have kept kissing for some time, had Lana not shivered violently at that moment because she hadn't pulled on her coat yet. Kal-El stepped back and let a weak form of his heat vision dance along her arms before one of her maids helped her with her coat and mittens.

Warmly bundled now, Lana turned back to her man one last time, and he said, "So? Could you feel my love?"

Lana nodded her head, slowly, happily, and definitely yes. "I love you, too, Kal. Find your parents, convince them, make them see what we already know, and most importantly, come back to me, my love."

"I will." Kal-El walked Lana to the mounting block so she could get on her horse. Once she was securely in position, he asked a small favor. "Could you stay here for a few minutes more?"

"Sure." Lana was willing to do almost anything Kal asked, but she was kind of curious. "Why?"

"Bruce is busy writing a letter that needs to go west with you, so it can be sent to your family." He looked back toward his camp, hoping to see a messenger riding toward him. "He got all sentimental on me just a short while ago, which really surprised me as he's never been the sentimental type."

"I think that's sweet," Lana said, "and Lois can use someone like that in her life. She needs someone who's strong enough to weather her tantrums and call her on the stupid things she does, while being soft enough to allow _her_ to show her soft side."

Kal-El went ahead and mounted his horse while they waited for the messenger, and her bodyguard formed up to wait on her pleasure. Hers had ten men in it, just like that of her prince, since her father's captain-general was a bit nervous about her traveling in the midst of so many prisoners.

When the letter arrived, Lana carefully tucked it into one of her saddlebags, and then eyed her man from head to toe, as he was doing to her. It was an instinctual reaction by both of them to the realization that this was the moment of parting.

"Don't say goodbye, Lana. I hate that word."

"What then?"

"I'll see you later."

Lana smiled slightly. "I like that. I'll see you later, too."

Just before she turned her horse to leave, Kal-El said, "If you need me, yell my name as loud as you can, Lana. I will be listening for you and will come to you the instant you call." Making sure she knew he wasn't kidding, he added, "Even if you just want a hug before bedtime."

"While it's comforting to know you're just a shout away, Kal," Lana said, "don't expect me to make use of that very often. It would make me look spoiled, which is not an image I want to cultivate with the army."

"I understand, but it makes me feel better knowing you _can _call on me if you wish."


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Discussing the Candidates

Lana's expanded command, consisting of her troops, the wounded, and the soon-to-be-released prisoners, snaked its way up the mountain pass on its way to Roskilde. Lana had a challenging problem: even though this was a trip that generally lasted four days for healthy people, she had to go slow enough to keep from hurting the wounded even more, but could not dawdle because the longer they were in the mountains, the greater the risk they would be snowed in. It wasn't winter just yet, but high in the mountains, that didn't matter.

So Lana spent most of her day riding along with the wounded, who were in the wagons that only yesterday had brought a huge load of supplies to the army. Kal-El had sent the commander of the supply train to her as she had asked. By the time he completed overseeing the unloading and reached her, she knew she had been assigned to transport the wounded, so she ordered him to make his wagons available for the transport of the wounded. Only those who could not walk would get to ride, but Lana didn't envy them that, as the ride in the springless wagons was going to be rather rough and painful, but those men had no other choice.

Kal-El, meanwhile, was headed north with Dax-Ur's army. The whole point of marching this direction was to find and free his parents, which was a future meeting that brought up all sorts of thoughts and feelings for the young prince. On one hand, he longed to see the familiar faces of his family again, on the other, rumors of his relationship with Lana were sure to reach them before she could come back to join them and he would have to try to explain how perfect she was for him without her being there by his side to prove what he was saying.

Another problem was the lingering resentment Kal-El had for the way his parents treated him when sending him off. He hadn't been part of that decision, hadn't even _known_ about it until his rather brutal introduction to Bruce. Then there was the fact they thought he wasn't safe on his own, that he needed a minder. Being told that he wasn't good enough to handle himself had struck deeply, and had done real damage to his formerly close relations with his parents.

Kal-El suddenly realized he _wasn't_ in a real hurry to meet his parents after all. He wanted to know they were safe, but found he'd be quite happy if the actual meeting was put off until Lana was with him to make him smile. _Maybe they'll see the calming effect she has on me, and will allow her to marry me just for that. God knows they don't want a hot-tempered man on the throne once father's gone._

In any case, Dax-Ur's men were making good time, unburdened as they were by prisoners, the wounded, or mountainous terrain. Looking over the maps they had available, he and Dax-Ur figured they would be in Salzerei in no more than a week, which would give Kal-El some time to think over how he felt and what he'd say.

While Kal-El thought he'd have most of a week to think before finding his parents, the actual time would be much less than that. When Zod's army had started to collapse, most of the officers did the honorable thing and stayed with their troops to surrender them to the victorious loyalists, but a few Kryptonian officers had taken advantage of their abilities and had fled the battlefield to avoid capture.

Two of those men had remembered the 5,000 soldiers laying siege to the castle in Salzerei, and had taken a slight detour to inform the man Zod had left in command. Realizing his world had just changed, the commander of the siege could wait in place and surrender once the prince's army came to lift the siege, he could try to retreat in the hope the prince would just let him go, or he could get it all over with by surrendering to the king inside the castle…assuming the king was inside the castle, which was something Zod's men still weren't sure of. He had spent the night mulling over his options before marching up the road to the castle under the cover of a white flag and surrendering his entire command to the king.

It took half of the day to collect the troops from their various placements around the castle and then to have them disarm and stack their weapons and armor before marching off. King Jor-El, with Queen Lara watching, accepted the surrender and set the terms for the prisoners, which were much like the ones Kal-El and Dax-Ur set for the main part of Zod's army.

The next couple of days, the king and queen stayed in the safety of the castle while they sent out several of their Kryptonian allies to use their super-speed and search the surrounding countryside to make sure this wasn't an elaborate trap by Zod. One of those scouts went so far as the battlefield and confirmed the story that Zod's army had been crushed and he himself had been killed. That story had set off a huge celebration in the castle, and the next morning, the king and queen left the castle in their Kryptonite-protected carriage, with their cavalry from the Royal Household Guard in attendance, to find their army.

Jor-El and Lara had _expected_ Dax-Ur to be in command, but the biggest surprise they had received from a last interview of the surrendering commander was the story he'd been told by the fleeing Kryptonian that the commander of the loyalist army was Prince Kal-El.

Once they were by themselves in the plush comfort of the carriage, Lara cast a spell of silence to prevent anyone from listening in, and the Els had their first serious conversation about the story of their son's location.

"Do you think it's possible?" Lara asked.

"Knowing our son? Our hotheaded son? Of _course_ it's possible. He was supposed to stay with Sir Bruce in Lord Lang's rented manor in Krakovia until we called for him. I _specifically _recall telling our boy that, but you know as soon as he heard there was some action, he just had to be involved."

"But how? He doesn't even have a knighthood, and he's not old enough to be an adult yet."

"Well…we know he's still nineteen, so something must have happened for him to earn a knighthood." Jor-El smacked an open palm against his thigh in frustration. "And what ever it was, it better have been worthy, or else the fool who knighted him will pay for it."

Lara waited for her husband to calm down a bit before pointing out the good news from this situation. "At least if he _is_ with the army and is an adult now, it means it's time for him to take his position as the Duke of Borussia. Time for him to shoulder that responsibility. Time for him to _get married."_

"That'll settle him down," grunted the king.

"Maybe, but not if he doesn't at least _like_ the girl. Otherwise he could leave the ruling of his duchy to his steward and go off on a long journey, just to get away from her."

"Kal-El wouldn't do that, he may not like his wife, but he'd do his duty by her."

"If you want to believe that, you'd better make sure she's pretty then, or else he might just surprise you."

The royal couple rode in silence for quite some time, with the king looking out the window, deep in thought, while the queen waited patiently for her husband to come to a conclusion.

"It would _help_ if we could learn whether or not Grand Duke Charles is amenable to our proposition," Jor-El said.

Lara rolled her eyes, as she couldn't believe her husband was still holding on to a hope of marrying their son to Princess Chloe. "You have to know by now the Ambrechts are determined to stay independent. The only way Charles and Sophia would consent to marry their Chloe to our Kal-El would be for them to get invaded by the Franconians."

"Well, King Lionel is _just_ crazy enough to invade," Jor-El said hopefully.

Lara looked at her husband like _he_ was the crazy one. "Not Lionel," she said, "but from what I've heard, his son Prince Alexander _is_ that crazy."

"You _do_ like bursting my bubbles," Jor-El said grumpily. Then he smiled. "I don't know what I'd do without you to keep me levelheaded and focused. I don't know what I did to deserve you."

"I thought keeping you on the straight and narrow was why you married me in the first place."

"You know better than that," Jor-El said. "I married you because my father ordered me to. I fell in love with you once I discovered just how perfect for me you really were…and still are."

"You were a Kryptonian man who was not afraid to listen to his wife and acknowledge she _might_ know something from time to time…that was rare. It still is. And then to find you were also able to open your heart and admit that a marriage does not just have to be a business transaction. What Kryptonian woman could _help_ but fall in love with you?"

Jor-El moved across the carriage to sit next to his wife. They held hands in a simple sign of affection that few who did not know them intimately would believe from a pair that was famous to the public as being a stern king and an icy queen.

After a time of just enjoying their closeness, Jor-El asked, "Who do you have picked out for our son?"

"I've paid a lot of attention to the young women who've cycled through our palaces over the years, watched them with Kal-El, watched them with Mara, and even had the servants report back on how those girls acted with them."

"And…?" Jor-El wasn't a big fan of the way Lara sometimes tended to drag things out.

"I _think_ I've found one. Pleasant and polite with the servants, quickly became friends with Mara and her ladies-in-waiting, and was caught with her tongue in our son's mouth in the hedge maze during his sixteenth birthday party.

"Beyond that, she's bright and is the daughter of one of your most powerful supporters. I think we should seriously consider Lady Ingrid Dax-Ur as the leading candidate to be our son's wife."

Jor-El was nodding in agreement, but came up with one proviso. "As long as one of our neighboring kingdoms doesn't come up with a suitable candidate. I still think Iberia and Franconia have eligible princesses."

It was Lara's turn to nod her head. "And unlike her older brother, Princess Alexandrie is reputed to be sweet and tractable."

"But not pretty."

Lara slapped Jor-El on the shoulder. "Pretty enough. She's supposedly just the kind of shy girl that ought to draw out our son's protective instincts."

"She may work then," Jor-El admitted. "What about the Princess Maria from Iberia?"

Lara started laughing. "Pure spitfire. Her temper is as hot as her hair is black. It would _not_ be a placid marriage. _She_ would draw out his temper, but would likely be just as fierce at defending him from others at court. And before you ask, _this_ princess is reputed to be a beauty. Of course, the Iberians _always_ say that, as you have reason to recall."

Jor-El snorted and then started laughing. "I wish you wouldn't bring up Princess Graciana again. Just thinking how close I came to having to marry that, um, _reputed_ beauty, makes me sick." He looked over Lara and stared into her eyes. "But it's not her lack of beauty that's making me sick. It's the thought that marrying her would've meant never meeting you."

Lara teared up upon hearing that, and gave her husband a tremulous smile. "The drapes are closed, Jor."

He recognized the look in her eyes. "And the road is smooth."

"It'll be hours before we stop again," she said hopefully.

"It _would_ be a shame to let this comfortable coach go to waste," Jor-El replied, as he pulled his wife to him.

No one in their escort happened to notice if the coach _maybe_ rocked a little bit harder that day. And if they _did,_ they weren't saying, but when the king and queen left the coach that night to have a meal and then sleep in an inn, they both had satisfied smiles on their faces.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

A Passing in the Pass

Lana's second day in the mountain pass started with a brief early-morning meeting with her senior officers, mostly to keep herself abreast of any problems that might be developing in other parts of her command. Everything seemed to be going as close to planned as possible, so she ended the meeting early and sent them on their ways to get the column moving as soon as possible since her one great fear was getting trapped in the pass by a huge, sudden snowstorm with all of these wounded soldiers and little more than a few days worth of supplies with which to feed and care for them.

Lana's eyes lingered on Lord Howland as he left. Being limited to one arm, the older, almost elderly, gentleman was forced to use a mounting block to get on his horse. The mounting block was slick with early morning dew, and the worn leather sole of one of Lord Howland's boots slipped on the block sending him falling toward the side of his horse. Lana watched in horror as his one good arm, the hand of which was already on the saddle to help him mount, wasn't nearly enough to catch him before his bad arm slammed into the horse's side.

The horse was a calm, experienced warhorse and managed to keep its place, which was the only thing that kept Lord Howland from falling to the ground and maybe injuring himself worse. As it was, the tough old warrior cried out in agony as he slumped against his horse, pinning his injured arm between himself and the horse.

Lana rushed to his side, even though others would get there ahead of her, and she wouldn't be able to do anything for him even if she had gotten there first. One horse groom continued to hold the horse in place, while two others pulled the lord back off the block and into a standing position.

Howland was still wincing and catching his breath when Lana reached him, and that was evidence enough for her. "I'm tired of this Lord Howland. Get that arm seen to by a Kryptonian, and have him cast a healing spell on it _today. _That's a direct order."

"But the wounded…"

"Will still be there. If helping heal you somehow takes a lot out of the healer, he can fly up above the clouds to completely recharge himself before coming back down to work with the wounded." When Howland started to speak, Lana held up her hand to forestall any attempt at weaseling his way out of obeying her command. "And don't tell me about the deaths among the wounded. I spent all day with them, and received reports on how many died. More will die today, and every day of the trip. Mountain travel is _rough _on the wounded, but we couldn't leave them back in the valley or a great many more would have died." Lana eyed the proud old man, looking for any signs of disobedience. Seeing none, she spoke quietly. "Get it done today, before we meet again for the evening meal. Don't make me embarrass you in front of the other soldiers."

"Okay, Lady Lana, you have my word," Lord Howland said, "I'll have it seen to today."

Pleased with herself for taking care of a potentially serious problem without having to humiliate a proud man, Lana pulled on her woolen mittens, cinched her heavy winter cloak around her, and mounted her own horse to oversee yet another day of what one wounded soldier called 'Hell on Wheels.' As the day progressed, Lana worked her way up and down the line of wagons that were filled with wounded. She never failed to be amazed how just her presence, and a warm smile, seemed to lift the spirits of those who saw her. She'd ask a few personal questions of the men who could talk, and was amazed at how animated they would become as they answered her. When she finally asked one of her younger officers about the phenomenon during their brief lunch stop, he finally let loose a grin he had been hiding all morning.

"It's mostly two things, Lady Lana," the officer said. "One, you're a lady. Most of these men are the second and third sons of pig farmers, cobblers, innkeepers, and wagon drivers. They've only seen a lady a few times in their lives, and have never so much as earned a second glance from one…until now.

"Here you are, both a lady, and the commander of this small army, and you're riding up and talking to them as if they were your friends. You can't know what it means to them to know that someone in your position cares about them. I've been following along in your wake all morning long, Lady Lana, and the men you talk to don't quit smiling once you move on; they keep on smiling and chatting back and forth like young boys for a long time."

Lana saw that the other officers in attendance were nodding their heads in general agreement. She was surprised, but pleased. "You said there were two reasons. What was the second?"

The young officer blushed slightly, and the other officers chuckled at his discomfort, as they thought they knew what was coming next. "Pardon my saying so, Milady, but listening to the men after you pass by, it's clear you're easily the most beautiful woman most of these men have ever seen. Even if you weren't Lady Lang, they'd still be thrilled to be on the receiving end of your attention. So just by doing what you've been doing, you're raising the spirits of hundreds, even thousands, of men.

"What you do may not heal them, but it makes their grueling trip over the mountains that much more bearable."

When the other men agreed with the first one, Lana smiled, and said, "I'm just doing what I can for these men." Wanting to get the focus off of herself, Lana changed the subject by saying, "How many men died during this morning's travel?" The officer in charge of gathering that information pulled a sheet of paper with the final tally and handed it to her. She saw that the wounded who could walk were generally doing fine, but the ones who were in bad enough shape to need to ride in a wagon were dying at what seemed to her to be a rapid pace.

"Thirty-seven more this morning?" Lana asked. She sounded agonized, and it was then that her officers were reminded that she wasn't a battle-hardened soldier. They knew there were still a lot of battlefield lessons for her to learn, ones they hoped she would never have to learn.

"That's actually a good total given the conditions, Milady."

"You've _got_ to be kidding me," Lana said in a disbelieving tone of voice. "I'm supposed to be _happy_ that only thirty-seven more people died this morning. Damn. I'd push the pace to get us home faster if I didn't think we were already going as fast as is prudent."

"It's a tough balancing act, Milady," the young officer said. "Go too fast and risk further injury to the wounded. Go too slow, and watch them die before we can get them to shelter."

"I am _well aware_ of the dual-edged problem I face," Lana replied testily.

"I know that, Milady. You've learned much in the past few days that no woman should ever have to learn, much less a woman of quality."

"And why should a woman not learn about the many dangers of war?"

"Because women should be far from the fight, in the relative safety of palaces and castles." The young officer pressed his hands flat on his thighs and rubbed them lightly as he talked intently. "They bear the children of the next generation. Every woman lost is not just one death, but the death of all the children, grandchildren, and so on she might have had. That's because, if necessary, one man may father children on many women, but no matter how many men lie with her, one woman can only be pregnant with one man's child at a time.

"So from a population standpoint, we lose much more when a woman dies than when a man does…and besides, men like having women at home because they give us someone to fight for, someone who wants nothing more than for us to come home whole and healthy."

"Someone you can rule absolutely because you are the strong man who carries the sword." Lana knew the old aphorism 'Might makes right!' and was sure that was why men ran everything in Alemannia.

"And you believe women would _not_ rule if _they_ were the ones with the strength?"

That question stopped Lana in her tracks. She wondered then what women _would_ do if they had the muscle and the weapons. She couldn't honestly say women would be any fairer toward men than men had been toward women, and that bothered her. But questions of sexual equality had to wait for later as lunch was over and she had duties to attend to.

By evening meal time, more men had died, and Lana was mentally exhausted. It seemed to her like the condition of the men was getting worse, even though her officers assured her everything was fine, and they still had two more days to go to get out of the pass and into Roskilde.

She was looking forward to a solid dinner, even if the food was likely to be salt pork and hard biscuits. She just needed something substantial to help settle her stomach. As her senior officers gathered to eat and exchange information from the day's travel, Lana ticked off the names on her mental list as the men came in, until only Lord Howland remained unaccounted for.

Lana finally tired of waiting and sent a servant to remind the lord of the combination meeting and meal and that his presence was required. The servant came scrambling back with the news that Lord Howland had taken to bed with an illness and could not attend the meeting. Lana couldn't imagine an illness that would stop Howland, but wondered about his arm. She had a servant take a man-sized portion of food down to Lord Howland's tent, and went about conducting a short meeting during the meal. The minute the meal was over, Lana rode down to Howland's tent, with a maid in attendance and couple of bodyguards following her, so she could see just what was the matter.

Upon arriving at Lord Howland's tent, Lana was surprised to find a ring of men surrounding it, with a number of guards keeping the men away from the tent. As Lana approached the tent, the men made way for her and the guards stepped out of her way. Her maid stepped in first to make sure everyone present was presentable and then she called in her lady. Lana made her way inside to join her maid, and her bodyguards joined Howland's outside the entrance.

The only other people in the room were Lord Howland, who was in his bed, his loyal manservant, and a Kryptonian, who was looking at the lord's arm. The Kryptonian rose from his knees when he realized Lana was present, and bowed slightly before introducing himself.

"Lord Bosporus at your service, Milady Lang."

Lana dipped slightly in a curtsey given to an equal. "Lady Lang at yours, Milord." She then eyed Howland. "I'm glad he finally sent for you. I've been trying to get him to for days."

"He did send for me, Lady Lang," Bosporus said, "but he sent for me too late."

"What? Is he going to lose his arm?"

"No. If he had called me this morning, he might have only lost his arm, but now the infection had spread so far and so fast that it will cost him his life."

"But your magic…"

"…has done what little it can. There are some Kryptonians, like the queen, who have honed their abilities with healing spells over years of practice. Were one of those Kryptonians here, Lord Howland might survive. But all we have here are men who have trained their magic abilities for death and destruction, leaving little time for the gentler arts."

Lana stepped closer and could see Lord Howland was sweating as if the room was hot, and now that his injured arm was uncovered, she could see it was fiery red with jagged, angry-looking dark lines spreading out from the site of his wound.

"Will he know me if I speak?" Lana asked.

"Maybe. Maybe not," Bosporus replied. "His lucidity comes and goes."

Lana eyed Howland's servant and then the dying lord. "If you've done all you can, Lord Bosporus, then you have my thanks and may leave us now."

"As you wish, Milady." Bosporus bowed once more and backed his way out of the tent.

Lana waited for him to leave, even though she knew he could listen in if he wanted to, and asked the manservant, "How long has he been like this?"

"He was sweating most of the day, Milady, and was becoming more and more incoherent as the day went on, but he didn't fall off his horse until mid-afternoon." The man cringed upon receiving Lana's disbelieving stare. She was getting angry, but not at the manservant. No, her building anger was reserved for the proud, obstinate man who was dying not ten feet from where she stood.

Knowing she couldn't allow herself to vent on Lord Howland, and unwilling to rip into his manservant, she reached out to the one source of comfort and solace she could depend on, the one person she could lean on as she watched her chief lieutenant die, who also happened to be the one person who could help her reassign Howland's upcoming duties after his death.

Mustering her outrage at Howland's stupid pride, and her need for someone to share with, Lana took a step outside the tent and yelled, "Kal! I need you! Now please!"

At that moment, Kal-El was relaxing on his long but narrow travel bed. It was collapsible for easy storage on the march, and infinitely better than sleeping on the ground…even for a Kryptonian. Bruce was sitting at a small camp table on the other side of the tent eating a second bowl of the beef and barley stew that had been their dinner, while Kal-El plotted the death of the cook for making such a meal.

"It's not that bad, your Highness," Bruce said, using the honorific title to needle the prince for not liking the meal. "As a common knight, I've had worse many times."

"I'm sure you have," Kal-El replied, "but that was cooked by soldiers, who are just as likely to eat shoe leather as dried meat. This cook was supposed to be a professional and my stomach had such high hopes for him." Kal-El looked over at Bruce, who was just scraping the last of the soup from the bottom of the bowl. "I _could_ have eaten the soup fairly easily, if I hadn't been expecting something better."

Bruce was about to reply, when Kal-El heard Lana's call. She didn't sound panicked or desperate, but she did seem to need him that very second. Bruce was surprised when Kal-El leapt from his bed and ran for the tent opening, and when he saw his prince begin to draw his sword, he looked around in panic as he tried to locate the danger that Kal-El had detected.

"Wait for me, Kal-El," Bruce said as his tin bowl clattered to the table as he drew his katana and charged after the hotheaded prince.

Kal-El stopped long enough for Bruce to catch him. The guards outside of the tent had their own weapons at the ready and were scanning the surrounding area for threats. "At ease," Kal-El bellowed. "There is no danger here." He turned toward Bruce. "And where there may _be _danger, you cannot go. The trip alone would kill you." Kal-El wasted no more time speaking, and launched himself into the air, with one arm at his side, and his sword-wielding arm out in front of him like an arrowhead.

Kal-El rocketed back along the path the army had been following the past two days, until he found the battlefield. From there he turned west and began to fly up the mountain pass. Kal-El slowed once he neared the summit and began to scan the snake-like line of tents and wagons as he searched for Lana. While he was searching, Lana spoke again briefly, this time to the manservant as she asked for something to drink, while assigning her maid to look after the feverish Lord Howland in the man's place.

Kal-El used that sound to pinpoint Lana's location and shot down out of the sky to land in front of Lord Howland's tent. The guards outside the tent weren't in the mood to allow anyone inside with a drawn weapon, but they recognized the prince by his uniform and quickly got out of his way, sword or not. Kal-El was x-raying the tent as the guards moved, and finding Lana in no danger, he sheathed his sword and proceeded inside.

"Lana!" the prince called out.

Lana turned at the sound of his voice and hurried over to him, allowing herself to just be a woman for the moment and leave Lady Lana's duties behind as she fell into Kal's muscular arms. They kissed once, twice, then a third time, before Kal-El could get her to speak.

"What's wrong?"

Lana turned within the circle of his arms and pointed toward the bed, where her maid was wiping Lord Howland's brow with cool water.

"What the Hell happened? Did someone try to murder him?"

"No, nothing like that. It's his arm. He was wounded in the battle and refused to allow his wound to be treated by a Kryptonian spell until all of the troops had been seen to. I kept pushing him and this morning, ordered him to submit to a healing spell before I saw him again at the evening meal, which he swore he would do.

"The problem is, his infection had spread fast and he had been hiding the extent of the infection until it was far too late."

"Didn't _anyone_ try to heal him?"

Lana nodded. "Your Lord Bosporus was here as I arrived. He said he'd done his best, but it wasn't good enough."

Kal-El walked arm-in-arm with Lana to the one unused chair in the room. He picked up the chair and walked it and her over to Lord Howland's bedside. "The chair's for you, Lana."

"I'd _like_ to sit on your lap."

"I'd like it, too," Kal-El replied indulgently, "but your maid, who is here to make sure your honor isn't compromised in any way, shape, or form, would like it very much if you didn't." Lana took the seat and Kal-El stood behind her, lightly rubbing her neck and shoulders. "Don't worry. I'll be right behind you. I'll be here as long as you think you need me, and then I'll stay longer, because I _think_ you'll need me tonight much longer than you think you will."

"I love you, Kal," Lana said simply, as she reached up with one hand to rub his forearm.

"I love you, too, Lana. More than anyone or anything. You are why I live."


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

The End of the Journeys

All of Lord Howland's family members that were in Lana's army had been summoned to their patriarch's side to be with him in his final hours. That included two sons, three grandsons, and four other cousins and nephews. Lana and Kal-El withdrew to the far end of the tent, to allow the family to sit closest to Lord Howland's bed, but they stayed to the very end, since Lana was determined to honor the count's service to the king and his stalwart support of her.

When the Lord finally gasped his last breath in the wee hours of the morning, the Howland men sat stone-faced, while their young sons tried to emulate their elders and hold back tears that wanted nothing more than to rush down their faces. Lana had no cultural imperatives against crying to deal with, so she let loose and sobbed as hot tears rolled down her cheeks.

Kal-El wasted no time, and took Lana into his arms. He held her tight as she tucked her head under his chin and burrowed into his chest, seeking the warmth and comfort she craved at this moment. Kal-El could feel the warm wetness of her tears bathing the bare skin at the base of his neck, and though he enjoyed any excuse to hold Lana close, the fact that she was crying and he was powerless to stop it made him feel like his heart was going to break. Despite that, he knew he had to be strong for her, so she would feel free to let him share in her pain. Kal-El didn't say anything. He just rocked Lana back and forth, as her maid looked on approvingly.

When Lana's tears finally subsided, Kal-El gave her a final hard squeeze which she responded to with a firm squeeze of her own. Appreciative of his loving support, Lana peered up at him, and said, "I love you, Kal. I'm so lucky to have you. Not many men in this day and age would stay around for a woman's tears."

"And I love _you,_ Lana. I love _all_ of you. Don't _ever_ be afraid to show me how you feel."

The two of them rose then, intent on consoling the extended Howland family. Kal-El and Lana worked their way down the line of family members, with Lana taking the time to place a chaste kiss on the forehead of young Lord Duncan Howland, the boy who had given her his own two daggers on the day of the battle to keep her safe. "I feel for your loss, Duncan," Lana said.

"You've already honored him with your tears, Milady," Duncan replied. "It shows that grandfather truly meant something to you, which is more than most of the lords outside of this tent can say. For my family, we thank you."

Kal-El and Lana took their leave and left the tent and saw that a large crowd of onlookers had gathered. "It's my duty to announce the death of the honorable Lord Howland, the Count of Albemarle," Kal-El said loudly. As a hushed rumble spread through the shocked crowd, he went on. "His many years of loyal service to crown are at an end, but the king is confident that the successor to the county of Albemarle will live up to the high standard set by the just passed lord."

The crowd started to break up upon the end of Kal-El's impromptu speech, with various knots of onlookers going their separate ways. Lana made her way to a mounting block and tiredly clambered onto her horse, collecting her maid and her two guards in the process, and prepared to make the short ride back to her tents to get what little sleep remained to her before daybreak. She was fully expecting Kal-El to take off from that very spot to fly back to his camp and get some sleep for himself, but instead, he decided to walk with her back to her tents.

Lana rode slowly, and Kal-El stayed right by her side the entire way back. The guards and the maid dropped back to give the two some privacy, but that was unneeded, as not a word was spoken between them. When Lana finally dismounted and her horse was given into the care of a groom, Kal-El enfolded Lana with his arms for one more warm hug, before quietly telling her he would be spending the night just outside her tent in case she should wake in the middle of her sleep and have need of him. Lana was tired enough that she didn't even try to protest Kal-El's sacrifice; instead, she just kissed him on the cheek and made her way inside her tents. Her guards went off to find some sleep of their own, as they were relieved of their duty by the two fresh guards standing outside the primary entrance.

Kal-El looked at the bright-eyed and eager guards with a deep satisfaction and then asked one of Lana's maids for an old blanket so he'd have something to lie on that would keep him from ruining his clothing while he slept on the ground. The maid returned in seconds with a two blankets and a pillow, as her lady had heard her man's request and had insisted upon the extra comforts.

"Tell Lady Lana that I thank her for her thoughtfulness." The maid made no answer, except to bob her head in acquiescence and head back into her lady's tent complex.

Lana tossed and turned for some time before finally nodding off to sleep. Kal-El had used his magic to cast a shield around his body before sleeping just in case. This precaution was mostly done for Bruce's sake, as Kal-El wanted to be able to return to his camp in the morning and be able to tell his bodyguard that he had taken every reasonable precaution.

The next morning came early for the sleep deprived young couple, but while Lana had a coterie of maids to help her get ready for the day's march, she gave orders that her maids were to leave the prince alone until it was almost time for her to be on the move.

A groggy Kal-El rolled out of his blankets and was in the midst of returning the bedding to Lana's maids when Lana herself came out of her tents ready to go. He knew he must look awful, but was pleased to find Lana didn't care. She stood on her tiptoes to give her man a quick kiss on the lips. "Thank you for staying the night, Kal. It meant a lot to know you were right out here where I could reach you if needed."

"You're welcome, Lana," Kal said. "Now…what are we going to do about replacing Lord Howland?"

"Replacing him? I thought his eldest son will take his titles, lands, and incomes."

"He will. I was just referring to replacing him as the commander of the prisoners once this column reaches Roskilde and you have to focus on running the supply base and feeding everyone."

Lana grimaced and felt like smacking herself on the forehead. "How could I forget _that?"_

"Well…let's see. You got blindsided by the sudden death of your chief assistant last night. It was an emotionally difficult time for you. It's no wonder you lost track of filling this position."

Lana eyed Kal-El. "Who do you think should get the spot? Highest rank? Greatest competence? Most likely to not undermine my authority?"

Kal-El weighed the potentially thorny problem. "I'd appoint the new Count of Albemarle, if I had any idea of the kind of man he is. And if anyone tries to undermine you, you have my unconditional approval to use my signet ring to remove the man from his position and replace him with someone else." Lana touched herself right between her breasts at Kal-El's reminder of the power she carried there. "So that leaves us with competence. Name the man who you think can do the job with the least fuss, and I'll name him to the job."

Lana thought and then made her choice. Half an hour later, Kal-El had informed the assembled commanders of the new arrangement, with the very surprised Baron of Aarhus having been announced as Lord Howland's replacement as commander of the prisoner release. Kal-El was ready to leave, and so was Lana. One last kiss was all they had time for, the heat of which seared their lips and left an impression of lingering warmth which would last for hours.

"Don't be afraid to call on me again if you need me, Lady Lana," Kal-El said formally.

"I'll call you if needed, your Highness." Lana agreed. She figured if he was going to be formal and call her Lady Lana, then she was going to refer to him as a prince.

Kal hovered slowly into the air, watching Lana watch him back. And when he reached a decent altitude, he rocketed into the clear, blue sky and quickly zoomed out of sight.

Lana's army settled into march for the day and had no more problems, outside of the usual number of deaths amongst the wounded. The next day was much the same, and her small army and its many dependents rolled out of the mountain pass late on the fourth day, with the final army unit not making it into Roskilde until well after midnight.

The newly appointed commander of the prisoners had taken the army and the prisoners well out of town on the road to the north that headed back toward the heart of the kingdom, before allowing them to settle down and make camp. Lana was busy making arrangements for the feeding and care of the wounded, along with the feeding of the army and prisoners.

As each unit of prisoners received enough supplies to fill it's wagons for the long trip north, the Baron of Aarhus, Lord Anders Bixby, released them to head home under the command of their own officers, each of whom would be responsible for replenishing their supply wagons from his own finances once they reached the more populated areas of the kingdom. Bixby also made sure the units of prisoners were well spaced on the road, so that they didn't cause trouble on the march.

When a supply warehouse was emptied, Lana had it converted into a shelter for the wounded. Cots were used at first, and then blanket beds. A pair of small stoves were placed in each building for warmth, with ventilation holes being made in the roof to vent the smoke. The stoves helped somewhat, but the biggest deal was getting the wounded out of the wind and the possibility of snow. Some of the slightly wounded troops were beginning to make recoveries, while more of the severely wounded died everyday. Both results helped cut down on the number of men who needed caring for, and soon, Lana had enough shelter for everyone.

As the number of prisoners dwindled, the number of troops necessary to guard them dwindled also, allowing Lana to send a number of her lords home with her well-earned thanks for heeding the prince's call to arms. So by the time she'd been home a week, half of the prisoners and troops were gone, and the wounded being cared for were down by a quarter.

Thus it was when Lana rose early the next morning. She was halfway through her breakfast when a maid rushed in, barely able to contain her excitement. To Lana, it looked like the girl was about to burst if she didn't get to say what was on her mind, so Lana nodded her head, indicating to the girl that she was to speak.

"Lady Lana! Lady Lana! The master is coming home! His carriage was seen making the winding trip up to the castle from the town."

In her hurry to stand, Lana knocked over her breakfast and then raced for the castle courtyard. Lana made it to the courtyard to stand with her steward and castellan minutes before her father's carriage pulled to a stop right in front of her.

On that same morning, Kal-El's army scouts met up with the scouts from the king's own fast-moving column after an uneventful trip. The army briefly celebrated the fact of the king and queen's freedom before resuming its march. Kal-El was thrilled, and more than a little cautious. He remembered being ordered to stay away unless he was ordered to come home. He knew his father would be pleased by his son's successes, but that didn't mean he couldn't be punished for failing to follow orders. _Maybe I can claim that I followed orders since I didn't come back to the royal palace, _Kal-El mused. He eyed his bodyguard, close friend, and constant companion Bruce Wayne. _Bruce seems to be more nervous than ever. I wonder why that is true. I always figured the end of our trip would be a relief to him. Oh well, no point in trying to make him tell me. He'll let me know when he's ready._

One other family was eagerly looking forward to meeting the king and queen; Lord Dax-Ur and his highly sought after daughter Ingrid had high hopes that they would be able to cement their ties to the royal family, and most specifically to Prince Kal-El, with a binding marriage contract. Dax-Ur knew what a catch his daughter was, and believed his tireless work on behalf of the king had more than earned this reward for his family, no matter _what_ attachments the prince might have formed on his own.


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Family Reunion

A pair of iron steps were affixed to the outside of the carriage by a footman before he moved to open the door. First out of the carriage was Baron Lang himself. As soon as his feet hit the paving bricks of the courtyard, he turned back to the carriage and held out his hand for both of his daughters to use in descending safely.

Seeing her family again drove home just how much she had missed them during her months of solitary duty, and by the time Alicia alighted from the carriage and joined Lois and her father, Lana was crying and running for them as fast as her clothes would allow. Lewis swept Lana into his arms and spun her around once before setting her back on the ground.

"How's my girl?" Lewis beamed.

"Oh, Daddy, I'm fine. You can't know what it's been like around here without you three." Lana looked around and realized no one had come up to the castle except for her family and a smattering of guards. "Where is everyone else? Where are all the servants and guards?"

"They're just a day behind us. Given the letter I received from you, I thought we had better hurry on ahead once we cleared the Stein Pass."

Alicia and Lois had crowded in behind Lana and were taking turns reaching around her for firm hugs of their own. Lana finally turned toward her sisters and hugged them properly, with tears still leaking out of her eyes. Alicia was crying too, and even Lois' eyes were brimming with unshed tears.

Lewis allowed the sisters to exchange heartfelt greetings before asking, "So, what does a man have to do to get a hearty breakfast in his own castle?"

All three girls laughed, and Lana took him by the hand. "Come on, Father. I imagine the cooks will scrounge up something for you. After all, we don't want you wasting away to nothing."

Over a meal of hotcakes, eggs, and bacon, the three newly-arrived Langs settled in to swap stories of what had been going on since they'd parted, but Lana raced through her breakfast, a replacement for the one she'd knocked over earlier, and asked permission to leave the table so she could get to work.

"Already?" Lois asked.

Lana cut her off before she could say something stupid. "Yes, Lois, _already._ I have several thousand wounded soldiers to feed and keep warm, along with supplying the columns of prisoners as they prepare to march back home. If I'm not in that office to coordinate things, someone might not get fed tonight or might not get his allotment of coal for the heating stoves."

"It sounds like you have a responsibility, Lana," Alicia said.

"No, I have several _thousand _responsibilities. They fought for and got wounded for the king, and for me, and I have a duty to care for them until they can care for themselves."

Lewis eyed his daughter shrewdly. "If you'll give me a few moments to finish my breakfast, Lana, I'll come down with you so you can start teaching me how you have things organized."

Lana nodded her head silently in agreement. She knew her father meant to take her place in charge of the operation here, and while she was grateful that there was someone else to share her burdens, she couldn't help but wish she would be allowed to finish the job herself. "I'll go up and dress for the weather, Father. If you're ready to go before I am, please wait for me in the main courtyard."

The other girls finished eating and headed upstairs for a couple of short naps, but Lewis pulled his warm clothing back on and headed back to the main courtyard. His favorite horse would be arriving tomorrow with the servants and the bulk of the guards, so he requisitioned another of his horses, and while he was waiting, Lana walked down the winding steps of the circular main keep to join him. The grooms knew Lana's routine well enough by now to run for her horse without being told.

"As you assume command here, Father, both in the name of the king, and in your own right, there's something I have to give to you." Lana reached behind her neck and lifted the heavy gold chain that was draped there. As it rose over her head, the other end began to rise from its resting place between her breasts. When her father saw the golden dragon on the signet ring, he gasped. "This is for you, Father. You are the king's representative now."

Lewis held one hand out, and Lana began to pile Kal-El's ring and her necklace together in his palm. While the gold was piling up in his hand, Lewis' eyes were on his daughter's face. He could easily see her sadness and guessed what might be causing it.

"He told you, didn't he?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes. Just after the battle. I was on my horse, surrounded by the knights of my bodyguard, and was just preparing to go on a frantic search for Sir Clark, when a column of men rode up to us. By the time I realized they rode under the prince's banner, Clark was standing at my side…and almost instantly, he told me who he really was."

"So you know you can't marry him."

"I _tried_ to tell Kal that," Lana admitted. Her rueful expression spoke volumes for how successful she'd been. "But he wouldn't listen. He insisted I'm the one for him, and intended to make his parents see that as well." Lana took a breath and stared her father squarely in the eyes. "He plans to make your second daughter the foremost woman in the land."

"That young man is a romantic. He loves you. What he _plans_ to do is make you his _wife._ You becoming the foremost lady in the land is just a pleasant extra for him." Lewis could see how much Lana loved her prince. His shyest child, always guarded with her emotions, was now wearing them on her face for all to see. "You love him so very much, and he has forbidden me from agreeing to any marriage proposals until he's had a chance to discuss you with the king and queen. I think you two will either be the happiest couple in the land, or the most heartbroken."

Lewis took the plain gold necklace and the attached signet ring and let them dangle from his hand at arm's length so he could look at them. _Prince Kal-El's ring and my Lana's chain. Combined…together…joined as one. And there's only one place where they belong._ "Bow your head, Lana." She complied, and he slipped the necklace back over her head, leaving the signet for her to slip into its resting place. "Wear it, and think of him. I know where to find you if I need the signet for an official letter."

Lana's tears were back again. It seemed to her like she couldn't stop crying these days for very long. "Thank you. You don't know what this means to me."

"I'm old enough to have been in love once or twice, Lana," Lewis said, as he winked at her. "I think I might remember a thing or two about being in love."

Lewis and Lana spent the morning with her going about her normal routine and him watching her carefully. After a hurried lunch, Lana led Lewis on a quick tour of the complex, which was now one part supply base and one part makeshift hospital.

In the afternoon, Lana was the one who watched, as Lewis handled the business. She was careful to only step in when he really got stumped, because she didn't want to appear to be stepping on his toes, so to speak, in any way, shape, or form. When Lana let her father know it was time for them to close the office for the night and return to the castle, he could tell he'd put in a full day's work, and was prouder of Lana than ever.

"How did you create all this?" Lewis asked, as he gestured at the expansive compound.

"With a lot of help. Your steward, castellan, and captain-general were all invaluable to me. And with farming being done for the year, we had a lot of available labor in and around the town." Lana quirked an eye at Lewis as they rode along, and asked a question that she'd been wondering about for some time. "How much money did all of this cost the prince? Food, clothing, supplies, the base…everything."

"An obscene amount, Lana."

"How _much?"_ she pressed.

"I likely shouldn't be telling you this, but you've earned the right to know, as far as I'm concerned anyway." Lewis wiped a hand across his face, ending the movement by clasping the tip of his chin with his hand. "Somewhat more than half a million kroner."

Lana nearly tripped and fell. She _did _gasp in shock. _How is it possible to spend more than half a million in gold that fast? _The amount was incomprehensibly vast to Lana. She knew Kal was wealthy, but the idea of even _having_ that much money was hard for her to adjust to…actually _spending _it was even harder.

"Kal's not going to have you strung up by your thumbs for wasting his money, is he?"

"I don't think so, Lana. Your beau will receive a complete list of all of my paid invoices. His account managers can compare them against the lists of supplies you received here at Roskilde, and then again, against the lists of supplies you doled out to various groups of people."

Just the mention of Kal as her beau, her man, her _suitor,_ made Lana want to giggle with delight. She was in love and wanted the whole world to know. Lewis noted the instant change in Lana's demeanor, but wasn't sure what had caused it. When he asked her about it, Lana gushed. "Just mentioning his name is enough for me."

The two Langs then collected their small bodyguard and headed for the winding road that led up to Roskilde Castle. Their route led them through the town, and something Lana had been feeling subliminally all day at the supply base now came to the front of her consciousness: the commoners were treating her differently, and she didn't know why.

Children were running up to her horse in the hope of touching her, women stopped whatever they were doing to stare at her admiringly, almost _worshipfully, _and all day long, the men had seemed to see her as some kind of equal. She and her father made it halfway across the town square before her curiosity got the better of her and she stopped a woman to ask what was going on.

After she curtseyed to Lord Lang and his daughter, and Lana asked her question, the woman said, "Beg pardon, Lady Lang, but stories about the battle are spreading faster than wildfire. We've all heard how you stopped a full-fledged retreat all by yourself. The men from your father's army _swear_ that your actions won the battle that day.

"It's not often that an Alemannian _woman_ gets a chance to shine like that, and yet, _our_ lady came through and showed her quality." The woman dabbed at her eyes with the corner of her slightly dirty white apron. "We're all so proud, and every girl in town is mad to be just like you. God bless you, Lady Lana."

When the woman curtseyed again and went her way, Lana finally noticed her father's eyes were wide open and so was his mouth. Both were expressions of extreme surprise for him that Lana knew well.

"It seems someone has a story to tell at dinner," Lewis said, when he regained he ability to talk. "How much of what that woman said was true?"

"Some of it," Lana admitted. "She exaggerated a bit, but the gossips around here always do. She had been hoping to tell the story to her family herself, both to make sure it was told correctly, and to keep some personal details private. But she realized her sisters had been in the castle all day and had likely heard some garbled version of the truth from the servants and soldiers she brought back with her.

She just knew Lois would be wild with jealousy, as it had always been _her_ special dream to participate in at least one major battle. Finding out her little sister had accidentally accomplished the feat, and been accounted a hero in the process, was not going to sit well.

Not…at…all.

So Lana was ready for Lois to be jealous when they sat down to eat a special meal the staff had cooked up to celebrate the safe return of the entire Lang family. What caught her by surprise was Alicia being every bit as jealous as Lois, but for a completely different reason: Alicia now knew that 'Clark' was really Crown Prince Kal-El. For a girl who'd always loved romantic stories, falling in love with a handsome prince in disguise, and having him return that love, was living a life of which she herself had only dreamed.

Lana sat at the family's private dinner table and shook her head in disbelief. She allowed her forehead to sink into her fingers so she could massage her temples with her thumbs to help ward off the oncoming headache she knew her sisters were sending her way. _This may not be the enjoyable night I had hoped. _


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Rouchka Pass

Kal didn't have sisters to deal with; his only sibling was a long way away. He didn't know where she was, but planned on making that his second topic of conversation once he met his parents. His _first_ planned topic of conversation was Lana. He planned on making his intentions known to his parents before Dax-Ur got a chance to sneak in to get his father's signature on a marriage contract.

After the contact the day before, Kal-El knew today was the day. His chief manservant dressed him in the best uniform he had on hand: the white and gold of the royal family. It was a full-dress uniform, the kind normally reserved for parades and formal functions, but they both figured that this meeting was momentous enough to warrant wearing his best.

As Kal-El and Bruce headed out that morning, Kal saw his friend was still on edge, like he had been the night before. "What's bothering you, Bruce? My parents are almost here. Your time as my shadow is almost at an end."

"One more day of living under a death sentence," Bruce breathed. "One more day of knowing that if someone kills you, _I_ die also." After both men mounted their horses, Bruce added, "And what if your mother holds me to the entire year? I'll have to return to the palace with you and wade through a series of balls, receptions, hunting parties, etcetera. I don't like that crap very much."

"Aww…come on, Bruce. Staying with me can't be _that_ bad. The palace has the best food, drink, and women in the kingdom." He saw Bruce flinch at the word 'women.' "Or…I can have the Langs invited to the palace as our special guests for the entire winter." Clark checked and saw Bruce flush. "Everyone knows how I dote on Lana, but I think you'd enjoy the Lang ladies almost as much as I would."

"Teasing me about my hopes is unseemly, my prince." Bruce's tone was cold enough to freeze water. "Especially when they are so…faint." That last statement wasn't cold, it was filled with hurt, and Kal-El picked up on it right away.

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm a knight, and I come from a poor family. The only thing I have to offer Lady Lois and her father is an evil reputation I didn't earn."

Kal-El had heard other veiled references by Bruce to the massacre in Rouchka Pass and how he, Kal-El, didn't know what had truly gone on that long ago day. Making a snap decision, Kal-El decided his parents could wait. He needed to know what _had_ happened the day that Sir Bruce Wayne, a knight new to the Royal Mountaineers, had been credited with slaughtering the last two members of a merchant's wagon train.

Kal-El found a servant and told him to tell Lord Dax-Ur that they were staying put for the day and that a suitable campsite would need to be made ready for the king and queen. Kal-El then told the officer who had overall command of the scouts that he wanted to be notified first of the approach of his parents. "That specifically _includes_ Lord Dax-Ur. Let anyone learn of their arrival before me, and you'd better start thinking of what your next career will be."

The officer wondered why the prince needed to know about his parents' arrival first, but had long ago decided that high-level politics was something he needed to keep away from if he wanted to survive. "Yes, your Highness. It shall be done."

Kal-El then went back inside his tent, which the servants had just begun to take apart, and ordered them to put it all back together. Bruce followed along, surprised that his friend the prince had decided to cancel the day's march on his account. Kal-El then ordered something strong to drink, and when the servants left, he pointed at one of the two camp chairs placed around a folding table and ordered, "Sit!" The prince took the other chair and the two men waited for the refreshment.

"I'll bet ten kroner that Dax-Ur gets here before the drink does," Bruce said lightly.

"No bet," Kal-El replied. "I can hear his heartbeat getting closer."

"Why doesn't he run fast like you do?"

"You might have noticed I don't use my abilities that often. In that, Dax-Ur's a lot like me. We both know the humans don't like to be reminded of our differences. Historically, it's made them feel inferior and_ then_ made them want to bring us down. Pretending we don't have these powers, unless they're really needed, is a small price to pay for peace and stability."

"Humph."

Dax-Ur was off his horse and inside the tent in another few seconds. Bruce stood in the presence of his superior, while Kal-El kept his seat. He didn't plan on having Dax-Ur stay long and didn't want to encourage the man. _In fact, _Kal-El thought, _I'd better cast a spell so no one gets a bright idea and tries to listen in on me today. _After a perfunctory exchange of greetings, the prince gestured for the duke to speak.

"May I ask why we are taking a day of rest with your parents just a few hours' ride from here?"

"Sure you can. I have personal business that needs to be attended to before I meet my parents. And don't worry, I've already made arrangements for a suitable campsite for the king and queen." Dax-Ur nodded slowly and asked for permission to withdraw. Once he was gone, Kal-El cast the silence spell and then said, "Now, _I'll _bet _you _ten kroner that Ingrid shows up _after _the refreshment, but tries to stay."

"No bet…that girl was rather remarkable when we first joined up with her father, but once she saw you with Lady Lana, she changed a bit."

"How so?"

"She went from easy-going to determined in the blink of an eye. She just wanted to be your companion before; now that she's seen you with your lady, she's shifted to hunting you…or maybe I should say she's shifted to _guarding_ you, as if you're a prize that already belongs to her and she just wants to keep everyone else away."

The drinks arrived and a perfectly made up Ingrid wasn't far behind. Both men stood when the lady entered the tent, and Kal-El stayed standing, which prevented anyone else from taking a seat. "Hello, Lady Ingrid," Clark said. He'd recently taken to using the formal mode of address for her as another way to put a little distance in their relationship.

"Hello, your Highness." She turned to Bruce. "Sir Bruce."

"Milady," Bruce replied quietly.

Bruce stood quietly and watched as a woman who was gorgeous, smart, and witty tried her best to draw the prince into a conversation that he really didn't want to have. While he assumed it had to be nice to be chased by such an eligible woman, Bruce wondered how a man in Kal-El's position was ever supposed to be able to tell if a woman wanted him, his title, or his wealth. _Maybe that's another reason for the arranged marriages among the nobility, _Bruce thought, _that way, the woman's intentions are irrelevant._

Once Ingrid left, the men resumed their seats. After each took a drink, Kal-El became very blunt, and said, "I think it's time for you to tell me about what _did _happen in the Rouchka Pass."

Bruce saw the prince was serious and took another long pull on his drink, which turned out to be a nice ale that was reasonably cold due to the outside temperature. "If you insist." Bruce stared at a spot just over Kal-El's shoulder and collected his thoughts. "It began with the death of my Claudia. When she died…I died too, I think. Unable to stay any longer in a place where everything made me think of her, I surrendered my position and traveled west, anything to get away from my memories of her. I went so far west that I ended up in the Far East, most specifically in the Cipangan port city of Koophi.

"I worked and picked up a bit of the language, enough to foil a plot on the life of the port's governor and gain acceptance into his household. There I received training as a samurai warrior, once they discovered I'd been trained here as a knight. I came back five years later, not a _true_ samurai, but enough so that I was given a katana and a wakizashi, along with a full set of samurai armor.

"Even though I was back in Alemannia, I avoided Lord Kemmering's lands and took a position in the Royal Mountaineers. New to my position and eager to make a name for myself, I was assigned to a squad that patrolled the Rouchka Pass, mostly to stop bandits, but also to keep a lid on smuggling.

"We were on station one day, with me well ahead of the others and hiding high in the rocks to give advance notice of anyone approaching. The only thing that came along that day was a nice-sized wagon train, and I ran along the lip of the rock wall to shout down the warning.

"It turned out the wagon train was heavily guarded. When our guys tried to stop them to check from smuggling, it turned out that the wagon train was _filled_ with contraband and _very _heavily guarded. The guards attacked, and even though my comrades were much more heavily armed, and armored, there were only nine of them and somewhere around forty of the guards.

"Our men took a heavy toll on the smugglers, killing somewhat more than half of them before being killed themselves. That left maybe sixteen of them uninjured and a few more that were pretty cut up." Bruce stopped to take another drink before moving on. "I was way up high on the rock wall and had no chance of even reaching the floor of the pass while all this was going on, as the way down was a fifteen minute run back toward Alemannia, so all I could do was hide, watch, and remember." Bruce got up and began to pace, something usually not done in front of the prince, but Kal-El let it be. "What happened next was hard to fathom. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself."

"What was that?"

"It turned out the smugglers were comprised of more than one gang who banded together for protection for the trip to Alemannia from Franconia. Anyway, one side was yelling that they had paid a huge bribe that was _supposed _to go to someone in the Royal Mountaineers to assure them of a smooth passage. They wanted to know what the Hell had gone wrong.

"The other side was yelling back that they had paid just as much and hadn't gotten their money's worth either and that the first gang should just shut the Hell up before they got themselves into _real_ trouble." Bruce became theatrical then, throwing his hands wide in amazement. "Well, you can guess just how well that went over. The arguing just got louder and more obnoxious, until hands were on swords and the two gangs started fighting _each other._ The stupid bastards were killing each other over why their bribe didn't work.

"By the time they were done, only two guys were left alive; both were exhausted and grievously wounded. It took me half an hour to get to them, and while they had rested, their condition had only grown worse. I had two choices: let them die a painful, lingering death, or show them mercy and kill them quickly. I chose mercy…and someone saw me cut their throats.

"Some adventurous merchant had come up the pass behind me and had missed the whole fight, but got there just in time to witness me 'murdering' those smugglers. What had actually happened was plain to anyone who knew combat wounds, so I didn't get prosecuted, but that fat bastard of a merchant spread the word that Sir Bruce Wayne was a vicious, cold-blooded murderer, and I've been fighting that reputation ever since."

Bruce had finished his recitation of what happened that day, only to find that Kal-El had poured the contents of his own handless mug into his, figuring the frazzled-looking knight needed the drink more. Drinking it down it in one long pull, Bruce sat down in his seat and waited, as if sitting in court and waiting for the magistrate to render a verdict.

Kal-El was silent for a time as he digested Bruce's information. "There's nothing we can do about public opinion," Kal-El said finally. "The good thing is: public opinion doesn't matter. Not much anyway. It should be easy to request a copy of the incident report from the fort you were based in at the time. That would be enough to clear you in the eyes of those who matter in this instance, namely my parents and Lord Lang."

"I understand why Lord Lang is important here," Bruce said, "after all, it's his daughter we're talking about. But what do the king and queen have to do with this?"

"Oh…I don't know…just something about a poor and simple knight who wants to be a man of enough substance to impress a lady and have a fighting chance at winning her hand.

"It just so happens that my parents are about to have a number of smaller titles and their attendant lands come open once they hold trials for all the lords who backed the recent rebellion. I imagine a strong knight of proven loyalty might have a chance at being given one of those titles.

"What do you say to that?"

"Because they will need you at least as much as you need them."

For the first time since he'd kissed Lady Lois in the gardens during the Harvest Ball, Bruce Wayne allowed himself the smallest hope. He knew it was still unlikely he'd be chosen to receive one of the titles that would come open, but he _might,_ and right now, that was all the hope he needed.


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Making His Case

Kal-El and Bruce spent the rest of the morning in Kal's tent, talking about this and that, until it was time for lunch. When a servant entered the tent to inform the prince that lunch was available at any time he wanted it, Kal-El dropped his silence spell and went ahead to order a large meal for two. The food showed up within minutes, and was piled high on the two plates the servants brought. Following the food was a large pitcher of ale, which Kal-El made sure to chill with his breath right in front of the servants.

Once the servants were gone, Kal-El used his x-ray vision to check outside the tent to see if anyone was keeping watch on his tent. He didn't find anyone obvious, but since he wasn't the only Kryptonian in camp, he had to assume that someone might be checking up on him from time to time, and this was one time he didn't want anyone to know where he was, so he used hand gestures to get Bruce to stand, and then he grasped his friend under the knees and shoulders to lift him chest high, before using his super speed to rush out of the tent and head for his onrushing parents. By not using his full acceleration and not moving at full speed, Kal-El was able to ensure that Bruce survived the trip with little more than an upset stomach.

"What…the…Hell!" Bruce said, as Kal-El sat his feet back on the ground. "What's going on? Why the sudden, secret rush?"

"I ordered lunch to convince whoever might be paying attention that I was content to sit and wait for my parents to arrive. But if I did that, I wouldn't put it past Dax-Ur to arrange an emergency that I would have to deal with, so he could meet my parents first."

"You're assuming he's aware you plan on asking permission to marry Lady Lana."

Kal-El nodded his head agreeably. "Yes. I am. God knows we've talked about it enough. All they had to do was listen in on us just once, which is why we snuck out. I personally don't expect Dax-Ur or Ingrid to check up on me again until they've finished their own lunch, but by that time, it will be far too late for them."

Bruce and Kal-El were standing still in the middle of a slightly-rutted dirt road, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Bruce looked south, back toward their encampment, and then north, toward the advancing column that consisted of the royal couple and their guards. Bruce couldn't see the column yet, but he could see a dust cloud over the top of the next ridge that seemed to indicate men and horses on the march.

"So, do we stand here and wait?" Bruce asked.

"No. We'll race ahead and get within sight of them. I just don't want to get _too_ close to them though, because my parents' should be riding in a specially rigged carriage."

"What do you mean by that?"

Kal-El shrugged. "I had an idea for giving them some serious protection from attack by other Kryptonians while they were on the road. Father gave me the approval to implement my idea, which involved secreting a number of pieces of green Kryptonite all around the carriage to stop any would-be attacker in their tracks. My parents are protected from the effects of the Kryptonite radiation by a thin lining of lead that we installed in the carriage."

Bruce grinned, a sure mark of his approval. "You can be one sneaky bast…uh, _guy_ when you want to be, you know that?"

"Coming from you, that's a compliment." Kal-El eyed the approaching dust cloud. "Come on, I don't want to wait, just in case Dax-Ur somehow discovers we're gone."

Kal-El lifted Bruce once more for a fairly slow jaunt to a position just in front of the outriders provided by the Royal Household Guards. The horsemen were used to dealing with Kryptonians, and merely sent word back to the captain of the guard to come forward. When the rest of the column came to a stop, Jor-El asked the driver, through a small window in the front wall of the carriage, if they'd finally found a decent campsite for lunch.

"No, your Majesty," the driver replied. "It seems the captain has been called forward by the outriders. It looks like a pair of men are standing in the middle of the road."

"Way out here?" Lara murmured.

"Go figure," Jor-El said. Both Els were not particularly happy that someone was stopping their progress. Further compounding their annoyance was the fact that neither one could look ahead to see who it was, as the lead lining of the carriage blocked their Kryptonian sight abilities. Their first indication that anything different was going on was the ripple of surprised murmurs that shot through the loose ring of guards around the carriage. Then they heard the guards go to work removing the pieces of Kryptonite from one side of the carriage, indicating that the guards believed that either someone was going to be allowed to climb inside, or else the king and queen would be stepping outside.

The guard captain was back at the side of the carriage in moments. "What is going on out there, Captain?" Jor-El asked.

The captain could no longer contain the wide smile that had been threatening to consume his face ever since he had seen the young prince standing in the middle of the road. He'd been so anxious to deliver the news to the royal couple himself, that he'd galloped back after asking the prince and his lone bodyguard to follow him.

"There were two men waiting in the middle of the road, your Majesty. One has the look of a veteran and carries a wicked looking katana, while the other…the _other, _is none other than Crown Prince Kal-El." If the captain had been standing on the ground, he would have been bouncing on his toes. As is, his excitement was being picked up by his horse, who started whickering and dancing side to side just a bit.

The king and queen had been expecting to meet their son later in the day, so they weren't surprised by his presence, just the timing of it. Though neither the king or queen was happy with their son for violating the king's order to stay away until called to return, right now they allowed themselves to just be parents and revel in the knowledge that their son was safe.

Huge smiles spread across Jor-El and Lara's faces, and they held hands as they faced each other in the dark interior of the carriage. "Bring our son forward, Captain," Jor-El commanded, "and have someone put the step in place so we can step down."

By the time the step was in place and King Jor-El began his descent from the carriage, Prince Kal-El and Sir Bruce were standing ten feet away, having both been disarmed first as a matter of course in the royal presence. Once on the hard-packed dirt road, Jor-El turned and offered his hand to his queen, Lara, to join him on the ground.

Once Lara had gotten her skirts in order, with the assistance of the only maid she'd taken on this particular trip, both Jor-El and Lara turned their full attention toward their son. Three sets of eyes burned with unfamiliar emotion as they each examined the other, as if to assure themselves that everyone was in good health. Bruce felt like an interloper in what was obviously a family only proceeding, but perversely, he knew he couldn't leave as he hadn't asked and received permission to leave the royal presence. He'd almost forgotten all about that kind of stuff, as the young prince tended to be lax in enforcing that kind of formality.

Lara reached out a hand toward Kal-El, and said, "My son." It was all she needed to say, as Kal rushed across the remaining distance between them and wrapped her in an all-encompassing hug. As Lara rocked side to side in her son's arms, her eyes caught those of Bruce, and she mouthed the words 'thank you' over and over as she cried.

When Lara released Kal-El and turned to formally thank Sir Bruce, Jor-El finally got his chance at greeting his son. Kal-El bowed, to the depth proper for a prince to his king, and Jor-El said, "Rise, my son," and pulled his son into a somewhat awkward hug, as they slapped each other on the back.

"Just the sight of you soothes my soul, Kal-El," Jor-El said. "I've missed you…far more than I thought I would."

"For a young man who was dying to get out on his own, I'm surprised to find I'm having many of the same feelings, Father."

"Come on inside the carriage," Lara added, from a few feet away, where she had just thanked Bruce for his services, "where we can talk all about your time away in relative comfort." The royal couple went first, followed by Prince Kal-El, who pulled his bodyguard, Sir Bruce, in after him, despite the older man's resistance.

"Well…I see you don't mind allowing your bodyguard in on your private conversations, Kal-El," Jor-El said. "That's as it should be. Any man who trusts another man with his life, should also be able to trust him with the secrets of that life."

As soon as all four people were settled in the carriage, and the chunks of green Krpytonite were back in place, Kal-El bowed his head and closed his eyes as he summoned his courage, and his best arguments, to plead for Lana.

His father spoke first, however, as he stared at his son's head. "What happened to your hair, Kal-El?"

Bruce would have answered, seeing as he was the one who'd had the prince's hair cut off, but he knew better than to speak in this company unless spoken to. As the carriage restarted its somewhat rocky ride down the less than smooth dirt road, Kal-El said, "Sir Bruce had it cut off for my safety, as one of my distinguishing physical characteristics at the time I left home was my long hair."

"I suspect there was more to it than that," the king replied shrewdly. "I seem to recall your hair being in a warrior's triple braid. That couldn't have made an experienced knight happy."

The king turned toward Bruce and gave him a look that indicated he wanted an answer from him. "You are correct, your Majesty," Bruce said evenly. "Your son became my squire the instant you released him to me, and he was wearing his hair in a style he had not yet earned. It was an insult, and I took it as such."

The king liked the knight's direct manner. He hated the way people shied away from looking at him, and imagined the knight had done much the same with his son.

"Enough about hair," Lara said, her voice brimming with a thinly-veiled contempt for a subject she'd have expected her maids to talk about, not her men. "I have something more important in mind." Knowing his desire to speak of Lana and his wish to marry her would have to wait until his parents' desires had been satisfied, Kal-El settled in to wait. "What I want to know is: _who_ is this Lady Lana we've been hearing about nonstop for the last two days? Who are her parents? Where is she now? And most importantly, are the stories _true?"_

The royal couple sat back and watched, as their son and his bodyguard exchanged shocked looks. The last thing Kal-El had expected was for his parents to bring up the subject of the woman he loved, even if their focus happened to be on her exploits instead of the goodness of her heart. Bruce definitely had no interest in speaking now. Anything he said would run the risk of making things tougher for his friend, so he waited as Kal-El tried to think of something to say.

"I…uh, I don't…I'm not sure…" Kal-El's fingertips began to drum on his thighs as he tried to gather his composure. He decided his best chance was to answer the questions in reverse order and then launch directly into his campaign to win his parents over. After taking a deep breath and then releasing half of it, Kal-El looked his mother in the eyes, and said, "The stories are likely _all_ true, though the truth may have been stretched a bit by now. She's currently in the small town of Roskilde."

Jor-El's eyes narrowed at the mention of Roskilde, as he knew he'd sent Sir Bruce and his son to live with the Baron of Roskilde.

"Her mother is dead, but her father is Lord Lewis Lang, Baron of Roskilde, and as for who she is…" Kal-El took another deep breath and tightly gripped his knees with his hands, mostly to keep his knees from shaking, "…she is the woman who's captured my heart and who is my equal on every level except physical ability. In short, I have found my match. Lady Lana Elizabeth Lang is the woman I intend to marry. And in my view, the sooner, the better."

This time, it was Kal-El's parents who shared shocked looks. In the past, whenever they'd sounded out their son on the subject of marriage, he'd looked at them like he'd just bitten into a lemon. They'd run virtually every eligible young woman in the kingdom past him at various receptions, balls, and other social occasions, only to receive nothing for their pains but a series of bored shrugs.

In truth, they could have handpicked a bride and ordered him to marry her, especially since he was a minor, but they were happy in their marriage, and wanted the same thing for their son. The problem was that his marriage also had to satisfy the needs of the kingdom, whether that meant marrying him off to secure a needed alliance, shore up the support of a duke whose loyalty was wavering, or to reward a most loyal supporter.

When his parents didn't say anything right away, Kal-El looked at his father, and said, "I met Princess Chloe while I was gone. She's smart, pretty, and not at all inclined to marry me. I think you'd have to snooker King Lionel into invading Krakovia before the grand duke would agree to your terms."

The mention of Princess Chloe had drawn his father's attention way from the queen, but when Kal-El quit speaking, it was his mother who spoke. "That's just as I expected, Jor-El. Those are proud people…_too_ proud some might say…and that's why I asked Duke Dax-Ur to not commit his daughter to a marriage contract."

Jor-El looked back at his wife. "You mean, the girl who was caught…_messing around_…with our son in the hedge maze?

"Yes," she said evenly, "that was more than three years ago. She's nearly eighteen years old now, and is accounted to be one of the most sought-after young women in the land. The fact that she and our son liked each other enough to shove their tongues down each other's throat just means they might still be interested in each other and have a chance to find happiness together."

Kal-El was used to his parents discussing him like he wasn't even there, but Bruce looked at his young friend as if to say, 'you've gotta speak up, before they decide your life for you.'

Worried Bruce might be right, Kal-El raised his hand and waved it slightly as he said, "Excuse me, but I'm sitting right over here. Since you're talking about me and the rest of my life, you might want to include me in the conversation."

Jor-El eyed his son, and said, "Lady Lana Elizabeth Lang…Lord Lang's daughter…I sent you to him to keep you safe, _not _to find you a wife. Seems like I'll need to make my orders more specific in the future." After some brooding, the king continued. "Why is this Lana of yours in Roskilde? I mean, if she's so special that you want to marry her, why didn't you bring her with you to meet us?"

"She would have come, but she had a pre-existing duty she couldn't hand off to anyone else."

"And that was…?"

"Running the supply base I had her family build there, and also helping the Baron of Aarhus handle the remaining prisoners."

"Running the _what?"_

"Supply base. I had been making plans to winter your army just outside of the town of Roskilde, and so I had ordered Lord Lang to gather supplies and build a base. I have reason to suspect that Lana was the one who actually built the base though, since she was the one who gathered the reinforcements that allowed us to win."

"How'd Lord Lang pay for the base and supplies?"

Lara joined the conversation now, knowing _exactly_ how Lord Lang had acquired the funds, since she'd been the one to ensure Kal-El's bank plate was in his traveler's belt when he left home. "It seems the kingdom owes our son more than a debt of gratitude, Jor-El. What's the total so far, Kal-El?"

"Quite frankly, I don't know. Lord Lang has my bank plate with him, and he's still in Krakovia."

"So…" Jor-El said. "Lady Lana built a supply base, gathered a small army, led that army across to the battle, singlehandedly stopped that small army from routing when it was defeated, reorganized that army to counterattack the King's Legion, and in doing so, so inspired those men that they used her name as their battle cry…is all that correct?"

"Correct, but then add in the fact that she then led that army back to Roskilde, while taking care of the wounded _and_ keeping the prisoners in line."

Jor-El turned back to Lara. "What do you think?"

Lara tilted her head to one side, resting it on the cushioned headrest. "She's definitely a capable girl, I'll give her that. But that's not a queen's job. A queen's job is to produce children, males in particular…"

"Is that all you do for Father?" Kal-El asked, as he boldly cut into their conversation. "At home you direct the social life of the palace, ensuring a string of entertainments to please Father's guests, and spend hours attending formal sessions of the royal court even though you have no official place there.

"The first requires a woman of taste and discretion, while the second requires intelligence, wisdom, and a willingness to put the good of the kingdom ahead of that of any one person. Correct?" Lara nodded silently, but both parents were watching their son_ very _intently, as he was showing a side of himself he'd never shown before. Kal-El was fiery at this moment, a veritable inferno, as he fought for his lady love. Neither one had ever seen him _care_ about someone or something quite as much as he did now, and it made them listen carefully. "Mother? Both jobs that you've assumed for yourself require, absolutely _require,_ a woman who knows what she is doing, so don't discount Lana's 'capability,' because I need that in a woman.

"Many men like to brag about being a king's 'first advisor,' as if he's somehow the most important one. But watching you two, I've learned that the most important advisor is the _last_ one, the one who listens to all the evidence and all the other opinions before rendering her own. That's what you are for Father, Mother, and that's what I need, what I _demand,_ for myself.

"The fact that I love her may mean little to you in your deliberations, but know that she's the only woman I love or am capable of loving. There will be no mistresses for me. So if my happiness means anything for you, please allow me to marry who I choose.

"In this, my heart and my head are in total agreement. Lady Lana is the only woman for me."

"Is that what you came out here for by yourselves? To beg for this Lady Lana?"

"Yes, Father. She means that much to me, and…I had to get my plea in before Dax-Ur could ask for a formal contract of marriage for Ingrid."

"Then you've made your case. Get out and go back to your army. I suspect we'll run into you in time for the evening meal, so make sure your cook doesn't make anything with pork."

Jor-El signaled to the driver to stop, and within a few minutes, the green Kryptonite had been cleared away from one side of the carriage, and Kal-El had taken hold of Sir Bruce and left. But before they left, Sir Bruce had taken a risk and stuck his head back into the carriage, and said, "One thing you might want to know, your Majesties, your son has been knighted. Not by me, but he truly earned it. So while he's used to the idea that he has to marry whomever you choose, you and I both know he doesn't.

"Now that he's an adult, he can, if he so chooses, renounce the crown. At that point, he's just the Duke of Borussia, and then, while he still can't marry without your permission, he can refuse to marry anyone he doesn't want. And trust me on this, he's just hard-headed enough to do it."

After Kal-El and Bruce left, and the carriage was back on the move again, Jor-El looked at his wife. "Humph," he muttered, which was enough to break Lara's attention off of her now distant son, as she wondered about the woman who'd had such an effect on her only boy.

"What?" she asked rather testily.

"It looks like you have another young woman to add to your short list, Lara. See to it that the entire Lang family is invited to Königsberg for the winter. Make the invitation in my name so Lord Lang can't refuse to come, but make no mention of the true purpose of the visit. Tell him…tell him he's being rewarded for his role in defeating Zod. Lord knows he deserves it for what he and his daughter have done. I may have to make him a Count after all of this."

"What about that smart-mouthed knight?" Lara asked unhappily. "Can't we at least do something about him?"

"Like what? He warned us of a danger we hadn't known about. True, he could have left out the part where he told us of the potential consequences of Kal-El's majority, but I'm of a mind to leave him alone." Jor-El reached across to take Lara's hands in his own. "Besides, my love, Sir Bruce was kind enough, or ignorant enough, to not point out one other serious consequence if Kal-El should choose to renounce the throne."

"What would that be?"

"Simple. If Kal-El renounces, I will be required to divorce you and get married again, likely to a much younger woman that I'd not care for at all."

Lara could feel her stomach churn as she considered having to leave her husband. She loved the man like she had never thought possible before they'd married, but now, the idea of being forced to leave her other half behind was more than she could take.

"You're right. You _would_ have to marry again. I can't have any more children, and the kingdom would have to have another heir."


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Special Requests

It was nearing mealtime when the small column containing the royal couple finally met Kal-El's army. When he was alerted his parents had arrived, Kal-El took Bruce and his ten man bodyguard and rode to the head of the column, stopping along the way to add Dax-Ur, Ingrid, and their guards to his procession before continuing on.

Other nobles started showing up. They joined the growing procession, which was beginning to look like it would offer a respectable greeting for the king and queen. The Duke of Salzerei showed up just before they reached the carriage, and placed himself near the front of the line, as befitted his rank. He briefly eyed the succulent fruit that was Lady Ingrid Dax-Ur, before fixing his attention on the prince. Seeing the duke wished to speak, Kal-El nodded for him to speak.

"You know now where they've been hiding?" the duke asked.

"Yes." Kal-El turned to face the duke. "Did you know?"

"No," replied the duke. "They sent letters to a number of loyal nobles asking us to prepare our castles for their long-term use."

"You and your men did well by my family, Mar-Ken. I'm sure my parents are well-pleased. And as they are generous with their friends, I suspect you will be well rewarded."

"I didn't do it for a reward," the duke replied icily. "I did it because it's my duty to do so."

"Whoa there, I didn't mean to imply your loyalty could be bought. I was merely making an observation." Kal-El had seen where the duke had looked upon arriving in the column. He took this time to take his own look at Dax-Ur's daughter. He said, when he looked back at the Duke of Salzerei, "Who knows? Anything could happen._ Anything."_

Mar-Ken hoped so. He _burned_ with need for the nubile Lady Ingrid. His suit to the Ur family had been one of the finalists for her hand when the queen's request to keep Ingrid available had come through. And so, the bride selection process for the prince was affecting the choice of brides for an ever-widening cascade of lower-ranking nobles. Once Kal-El had been married off, everyone else would be able to make their own final choices and get on with their lives.

Once the steps were affixed to the carriage, a footman opened the door, and Kal-El waited as his parents stepped down onto the road. The king came first, as he was required to do by royal protocol, and when the queen moved to the door, Kal-El stepped up and offered her his hand to help steady her as she joined her husband on the road. Their greetings for everyone were perfunctory, as the Els didn't want to subject their non-Kryptonian nobles and soldiers to any more of the cold weather than was necessary.

Kal-El attached himself to his parents once they were done with the official welcome. He led them toward the campsite that had been pre-selected for them, and said, "Having you here is a load off my shoulders."

"Humph," Jor-El replied, "because everything that goes wrong now is _my_ fault?"

"Yes, your Majesty," Kal-El said. "King trumps prince every time."

Jor-El leaned around his wife so he could get a look at his son. "_Every_ time?" he asked meaningfully.

Kal-El knew just what he was getting at. "Well…that's hard to say. This prince might argue a lot first, given the right topic."

Dax-Ur, Mar-Ken, and Ingrid all followed the royal family at a short, respectful distance, even though all three were listening to the conversation. Each had their reasons, but would have been listening anyway, out of sheer habit.

The six Kryptonians watched from the edge of the campsite as the servants who came with the king and queen moved hurriedly to erect the royal tents. Kal-El took one look at Dax-Ur and felt sure the man was bursting with the desire to secure a marriage contract for his daughter. Figuring Dax-Ur would never take the chance unless he himself left, Kal-El decided to ask something that had been on his mind since the end of the war. Once he had his answer, he planned on leaving.

"Father?" Kal-El asked. "Where is Mara? Where has my sister been hiding all this time? I'd think she might have heard about our victory by now and be on her way home."

The Els looked at each other for a second before Lara said, "I think your sister won't be back until spring at the earliest, though it's conceivable she could fly back home for a few days here and there."

"Why? Where is she? Cipango?"

"Not quite that far, Kal-El," Jor-El said.

Kal-El had been kidding about far off Cipango, but he heard a note in his father's voice that let him know the distance was great. "Where?"

"Anglia."

"Well…that's okay, I guess," Kal-El said, as he scratched his head. "I guess she can fly home once she learns about the end of the war."

"No she can't," Lara said. "We sent all of her ladies in waiting with her. She's responsible for those girls. She can't come home until they do, and they have to go by ship."

"And since that sea is far too rough and dangerous in wintertime," Jor-El added, "they all have to stay in Anglia until Spring."

"A whole winter spent at the palace without Mara?" Kal-El frowned. "Maybe I'll go spend the winter with _her."_

That wasn't an idle threat, and the Els both knew it. They needed him to stay home so they could try to get his marriage decided upon before his sister returned in the spring and _her_ suitors started piling up like driftwood on the beach. Their one ace in the hole was that their son didn't yet know his Lady Lana and her family would be spending the entire winter in the palace.

"Maybe you can go spend a week or two with her right now," Jor-El allowed, "but you'll want to be back by the time we get to the capital and open the palace for the winter."

"And why is that?"

"Simple. Lord Lewis Lang, Baron of Roskilde, is about to be invited to bring his entire family to the city and stay in the palace with us for the winter." When Kal-El continued to look at them as if he'd just been slapped stupid, Jor-El added, "We just _assumed_ you'd want to be on hand to greet them personally."

They assumed correctly. Kal-El's face lit up like a pine torch when he heard his parents were going to give Lana a chance. His parents weren't the only ones who saw his unbridled excitement. The Urs had been listening intently and had soured once they learned Lana was being brought to meet the king and queen. Mar-Ken, on the other hand, was pleased to learn the prince's lady love was a serious contender for his hand. That greatly improved his own chances of marrying Lady Ingrid after all.

"I _do_ want to be there, very much so," Kal-El replied. "But may I have your permission to deliver the invitation myself, before going on to visit Mara?"

Seeing how much this meant to their son, and knowing it would help get him out of the way for a while so they could spend some time with Lady Ingrid, without him poisoning the waters, they waved him off with twin smiles.

"You'll have to write out the invitation yourself and seal it with your own signet, as we haven't had the time to do that yet." The king paused before adding, "Just make sure the invitation is in my name and Baron Roskilde will _have_ to come."

Kal-El was gone from the royal presence in seconds and ready to leave camp in under five minutes. Holding a large trunk filled with enough clothes to last him for a couple of weeks without repeating an outfit, Kal-El gave some last minute instructions to Bruce.

"Your official time with me is done, my friend. You cannot come where I have to go, and neither can the other ten who have guarded me all this time. To make sure you all get home safely, take the commission I gave you, and ride together to Borussia. Once there, you will be able to claim your back pay, and then you eleven can return to the capital. Come directly to the winter palace, I should already be there by then, and my tailor can set you up with a suitable wardrobe."

"What for?"

"If you want to woo a lady, you've got to take every little advantage you can get. Looking like a major in my army will get you much further with the lady and her father than looking like a worn-out bodyguard."

"Where are you going?" Bruce asked.

"To see the lady I've already won," Kal-El said smugly, before a more serious look crept across his face. "And from there, I'm headed to Anglia to find my sister. Mara deserves to know the war is over, and more importantly, to know her family lives."

Back where the Els were watching their tent rise quickly under the expert hands of their servants, the royal couple braced themselves for what could be an unpleasant conversation with their foremost general.

Both royals turned to face the remaining three nobles, who were the core of their two most important supporting families. "Lord General Dax-Ur," Jor-El said. "You've earned Our undying gratitude for your loyalty and service in the rebellion."

"Thank you, your Majesty." Dax-Ur smiled wide. Even though he already knew he was in the king's good graces, it was always nice to hear it said out loud. Hearing the royal 'Our' made the king's statement a formal one, one that was almost a commitment. Ingrid's smile was a bit slower and a bit smaller than her father's as she had been a bit slow picking up on the inherent promise to reward their family.

"What can We do for you today?" Jor-El asked.

Dax-Ur eyed his daughter and teared up at the thought of finally giving away his little girl. His thoughts right then were a time-blurred collage of her life. Like most parents, he chose to pick out the highlights for recognition, and suddenly, thoughts of giving her personal warmth, intelligence, and beauty to the prince made him sad. The prince's Borussia and his own Umbria were far apart, which meant visits would be few and far between.

Still, there were the hoped for grandchildren, princes and princesses all, and the knowledge that one of them would someday be king. All he knew was that it was time let her go, time to start the ball rolling that would end with his daughter marrying the king's son and having her name change from Ingrid Dax-Ur to Ingrid-El.

"I have but one wish. The kingdom needs heirs and the prince is of age. Your Majesties, I hereby offer my daughter, Lady Ingrid, as Prince Kal-El's wife and the mother of his children…may God grant they are many."

Mar-Ken stiffened slightly to hear Dax-Ur press on with his royal hopes for his daughter. He still had his own hopes for the girl, and thought the Els had made it clear that their son's love would be receiving due consideration to become his wife. _Maybe Dax-Ur's just pretending he didn't hear the king and queen talking to Kal-El. Either way, I've gotta give him points for chutzpah. Walking up to the king and asking for something like that takes balls._

"Come here and stand before Us, Lady Ingrid," Jor-El asked.

Ingrid had never been the focus of the king's attention, and found it to be a little bit unnerving. Nonetheless, she left her place at her father's side and moved directly in front of the king, before curtseying deeply and then standing upon command.

"Your family connections are impeccable. Furthermore, the queen tells me you're an accomplished young woman. You sing, dance, play an instrument, sew, and speak Frankic and Iberian in addition to our own Alemannian. All in all a worthy candidate to be my son's bride. And as your most loyal father asks this honor for you and for his noble house, We would normally choose to grant his request.

"There is, however, an impediment. Our son has asked that We give full consideration to another. He has done enough to convince Us of her worth that We have granted his request. We are truly sorry that We cannot grant your father's request at this time. This does _not, _mean you won't be chosen, just that the choice has been delayed."

Ingrid took the end of the king's speech to be a dismissal, which it was, and curtseyed again before returning to her father. Dax-Ur had fully expected to be turned down, but he'd had to ask, mostly to force the king and queen to state their intentions. Mar-Ken was pleased, and smiled pleasantly at Ingrid as she walked past him.

All present knew this winter would decide all. Come spring, the prince would be betrothed, with a fall wedding in the Königsberg Cathedral a real possibility.


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

A Surprise Visit

Holding the large chest of clothing below him as he flew, so he could see where he was going, Kal-El arrowed his way southwest toward Roskilde Castle. He knew Lana would be there, and expected the rest of her family to be present by now; he was just hoping for a little more enjoyment on this visit than the thorough beating Lois had given him the last time he'd been there.

Not wanting to surprise anyone in the castle into taking crossbow shots at him, Kal-El landed at the base of the winding road and ran all the way up it while holding his brass-bound wooden chest over his head. He knew he looked ridiculous, and he silently bet himself that he was the first person to ever make such a run in Roskilde Castle history.

Listening with super hearing, Kal-El could hear the guards call out that a wooden chest seemed to be running up the road toward the castle. Hearing that started him laughing so hard that he nearly tripped and fell off the road, which would have been a nasty fall for anyone other than a Kryptonian. Realizing that from overhead he might look like a chest, since he was carrying it above his head, Kal-El decided to carry it in front of him so the guards wouldn't attack the 'possessed' chest.

So it was that Lord Kal-El, Crown Prince of Alemannia and Duke of Borussia, ran through the open gate and into the main courtyard in record time. The prince set down his chest and sat on it as he waited for the guards to notify someone higher up the chain of command that someone important had just shown up.

The flabbergasted castellan came out of his office to see what the commotion was about and dropped his meerschaum pipe to the ground with a clatter. The white uniform coat was all he needed to see, so he grabbed his errand boy for the day, a young page from two baronies away, and sent him scurrying off with a verbal message for the Baron himself, which was: You have a royal visitor in the main courtyard, my Lord.

The Langs were eating a quiet family dinner in the family quarters when the castellan's page reached them with the message. Silverware hit plates with a clatter, as all four Langs looked back and forth as if to see if anyone had known of this unexpected visitor. Inevitably, all the gazes settled on Lana, as she was the one being romanced by the crown prince.

Lana looked at the three of them like they were all crazy. "What? Kal didn't tell _me_ he was coming to visit."

"So," Lois teased, "it's 'Kal' now, is it?"

"For _me_ it is," Lana countered hotly. She had been dealing with a fair amount of jealousy from her sisters for various things ever since they had come home, and she was _not_ in the mood to be teased about her love.

"Sitting around here isn't getting our visitor welcomed," Lewis said. "Come on girls, let's go."

The Langs trooped down to the courtyard in strict order of age. That was the proper way to receive their royal guest, but being third in line didn't stop Lana from uttering a delighted squeal when she saw a slightly dusty Kal-El begin to stand up and prepare to be received.

A dazzling smile burst across Kal-El's face once he heard that familiar voice; he couldn't have stopped the smile had he tried, and he most certainly did not try.

The family and senior servants lined up along the base of the main keep for a formal introduction. Lord Lang was first, and then he walked down the line with Kal-El, a step behind and to the side of him, as he introduced everyone as if Kal-El hadn't already met them.

Lois looked vaguely irritated at Kal-El, Lana was radiant, and Alicia seemed wistful. The servants looked at him like they'd never seen him before in their lives, even though several had ordered him around with regularity when he was hiding out at the manor in Krakovia.

The other thing that was plain on the faces of the senior servants was how proud they were that their lord was receiving the high honor of a royal visit. Kal-El winced as he could already tell he would be receiving the best treatment these people could devise on short notice. It was going to be a loooong night. _They don't call it 'receiving the royal treatment' for nothing, you know,_ Kal-El thought to himself grimly. By the time he'd finished being introduced, his trunk had been taken away. Kal-El turned to his host, who asked if he was hungry.

"I'm always hungry, my Lord," Kal-El admitted. "Even more so since I missed the evening meal with the army."

"I assume you remember the way to the main hall, your Highness," Lewis asked. "If you're really hungry, the evening meal is being served in there right now. Or if you'd prefer something nicer, I can have the cooks whip something up. That will, unfortunately, take a few minutes."

While Kal-El liked fine food as well as anyone, he was just plain, old hungry right now and wanted large quantities of hot food. "The main hall will be fine."

The girls were sent on their way, but one look between Kal-El and Lana was more than enough to tell everyone present that he would be joining them as soon as he'd eaten. As Kal-El wound his way through the castle, unerringly heading for the food, he half-turned toward his host and said, "I'm going to need some ink, a quill, a good sheet of vellum, your best sealing wax, and my royal signet."

Lewis flagged down the first servant they passed and gave her a rapid fire series of orders, to be carried out immediately. "The writing supplies will meet us in the main hall, your Highness." As they reached the doors to the hall, Kal-El could smell the savory scents of a hearty lamb stew. He was about to burst through the doors, when Lewis asked, "How fare your parents, my prince?"

Pleased to hear Lord Lang concerned for his parents' well-being, Kal-El turned to him and replied, "They are in perfect health. It turned out they were holed up in the Duke of Salzerei's castle. They met us on the road earlier today." Kal-El's smile widened and became smug. "I snuck ahead of the army to insure I was able to make my case for marrying Lady Lana, before Dax-Ur was able to push for a marriage contract between myself and his daughter, Ingrid."

"Do I push too far to ask what result you obtained?"

Kal-El's smile shifted from smug to delighted in an instant. "They've agreed to give her a chance. They want to get to know Lana, and to that end, have issued a royal invitation for you and your daughters to join them in Königsberg at the winter palace for the rest of the winter…that's why I need the writing supplies. I have to write out the formal invitation."

The two men were in the main hall, and Kal-El had collected a wooden bowl filled with the lamb stew he'd smelled earlier and was on his second bowl, before the writing supplies were rushed in by the same servant who'd hurried off to collect them. Just behind the servant was Lana. She smiled upon seeing her beloved, who had stood immediately upon seeing her enter the room.

"You called for me, Father?" Lana asked.

"Yes, I did," Lewis answered. "The prince needs his ring."

"I thought you…" Kal-El started to say to Lewis before turning back to Lana, who was pulling the gold chain over her head. "But you kept my ring, even after your father returned."

Lana moved in close to Kal-El, and held out his signet ring. "It's all I have of you, Kal. I had to keep it close to my heart."

Kal-El scooped up the dangling ring and chain. "Turn your hand up."

Lana did as asked, making her palm into a small cup, into which Kal-El poured the ring and chain. "I will never take this from you. At least, not until I can place a different ring on this hand."

Lana looked at her hand, instead of the ring, and realized it was the hand on which she would someday wear her wedding ring. The warm promise in Kal-El's statement made her start to tear up.

Kal-El saw Lana's incipient tears and took her into his arms for a long, slow hug. Lewis felt the tide of emotions swinging back and forth between the two and stepped back to give them a modicum of privacy.

"And as for having nothing of me but a ring," Kal-El whispered into her ear, "you have my heart. You have my very soul. You have every part of me, dearest Lana…and carry it with you wherever you go."

Lana was crying now, she couldn't help it. Kal was being so sweet to her that she just couldn't stand it. "I love you," she blubbered through her tears. "Oh God how I love you. You'd better win your parents over, or I don't know what I'd do."

"Well now," he said softly, as he rocked Lana in his arms, "that's all up to _you."_

"What?" she sniffled.

"My parents have been convinced to give you a chance, but you will have to be the one to convince them."

"I don't understand."

"You will once I write this letter. I'll need you to stay around and seal it for me."

"What will it say?" she asked. Her curiosity was mounting just as fast as her trepidation at being the one who had to convince his parents, _the king and queen,_ to allow her to marry their son.

"It will be a royal invitation for your father and his daughters to spend the winter in Königsberg at the winter palace. While everyone in your family is coming, _you_ will be the focus of their attention. They will want to see if you'll do…and I think Mother secretly wants to meet the _woman_ who saved us all."

"Oh…" Lana said. Her voice was as soft as a lullaby as she realized what was riding on her ability to make a good impression. "Who…who will likely make the decision?"

"You mean, who do you have to impress the most?" Kal-El asked. Lana bit her lower lip and nodded anxiously. "You don't have to impress _anybody,_ Lana. Just be you."

"Just be…"

"…_you._ How do you think you stole _my_ heart? Let them see the Lana _I_ know, and they'll be reading the proclamations for a royal wedding before you know it. Okay?"

"Mmm…okay." Hearing Kal-El's confident words helped buoy Lana's spirits somewhat, but she was still worried.

"What may be harder for you is dealing with potential dirty tricks from the competition."

"Lady Ingrid and who else?"

"Could be anyone of high rank, from here in Alemannia or abroad. Anyone at all who decides they want a queen's crown."

Kal-El decided to write out the invitation before finishing his lamb stew. It took the prince little more than a few moments to write the invitation, and then he used the thinnest trickle of his heat vision on the stick of sealing wax to allow some to melt, drip off the stick, and onto the page.

Lana was ready to do her part and firmly pressed the intricately carved dragon's head ring into the already cooling wax. Kal-El blew lightly on the ring, once she was done, to insure it wasn't hot before allowing her to return it to its resting place, tucked between her breasts.

Kal-El then stood and walked with Lana over to where Lewis had been waiting. "This is written for you, by me, at the express command of the king."

Lewis read the letter, already knowing it's contents, and immediately called for his steward. Kal-El was back at the table eating and talking to Lana, who was plastered to his side, by the time the steward had been found and had been able to scurry into his master's presence.

Without a word, Lewis handed over the letter. The steward read the letter quickly, with only a muttered 'oh my' to interrupt his progress. When the steward looked up from the letter, Lewis said impassively. "We leave tomorrow…by noon at the latest. We need to get out of the foothills before the first serious snowstorm hits. You, of course, will have the management of the barony while we are away. I'm depending on you to arrange everything for our trip, while I help entertain our royal guest."

"As you command, my Lord."

Lord Lang waved the steward out of the room and on his way, as he knew the man had a sleepless night ahead of him. With that bit of business done, he turned back to the young couple and saw the prince had finished his bowl of stew and was engaged in small talk with his precious Lana. He hated to disturb them, but he had to go make sure his other daughters heard the news from him instead of a servant.

"Your Highness?" Lewis asked.

Kal-El turned from Lana for a moment. "Hmm?"

"Might we inform my other daughters of this invitation? I'm sure they'll be thrilled to know they're finally getting to go to the capital." Lewis frowned at Lana. "In fact, why aren't _you_ a little happier, my dear?"

"Kal told me about the invitation, and at the same time, let me know that convincing his parents to allow us to marry would be up to _me."_

Lewis forgot himself and looked at the prince as if he was a particularly dense child. Kal-El responded with a sharp-eyed glare as he said, "In marrying me, Lana's going to be moving into a world where cutthroat politics are a way of life. If she's not tough enough to handle a little unhappy news _now,_ well before it becomes a fact of life for her, then I may need to reconsider my choice. Lana needed to know everything she does will be watched and evaluated, almost from the moment she sets foot inside the palace." Then Kal-El looked back to Lana, caught her eyes, and smiled, before returning his gaze to Lewis. "The thing is, I was so convinced of her intelligence, adaptability, and level-headed approach to things that I had no qualms in telling her now, so she could have the most time to prepare herself.

"Make no mistake. Supporters of the Ur family will take every chance to mess things up for Lana, and by now, there may be other contenders for my hand that will show up this winter completely unannounced. Winning this competition, and that's exactly what this is, will not be easy. My father wants what's best for the kingdom, while my mother wants what's best for me…which in her mind is not _necessarily_ what I want."

When he was sure he had gotten his point across, Kal-El stood, helped Lana to her feet, and said, "Let's go inform the other ladies. You're right about them deserving to hear about the invitation in some way other than gossip from a servant."

Lana and Kal-El led the way, holding hands and walking side-by-side, even though the castle's passageways were barely wide enough for them to stand next to each other. Lewis followed behind and watched, happy for the chance to hide his growing smile.

Lois and Alicia were talking in the family's private quarters when Lana, Kal-El, and Lewis found them. Lewis held the letter out to them, and Lois snatched it and read it out loud, with Alicia peering around her arm. Lois' voice kept rising in pitch all through the letter, while Alicia was squealing excitedly by the time her sister was done reading it.

"Are we going, Father?" Lois asked breathlessly. Like her younger sisters, the imagined delights of the capital had been a long-time fascination of hers.

"It doesn't say so anywhere on that letter, but that's not really an invitation. It's more like a royal summons." He nodded his head. "So, we are definitely going. We leave by noon tomorrow and will be staying in the royal palace itself for the winter, so make sure your maids pack accordingly. I think you should all turn in now and get up extra early so you can spend a long morning directing your packing."

Lois and Alicia agreed and both hurried off, but not without hugging Kal-El for bringing the invitation. Lana, however, turned to Kal-El and asked if he was going to make the trip with them.

He shook his head, and said, "No. This is actually just a stopover for me. The main reason for this trip is to fly to Anglia."

"Anglia? What's all the way out there?"

Kal-El rubbed the side of Lana's face with the pad of his thumb and watched as her eyes fluttered closed at the intimate contact. "My sister is out there, and she doesn't even know the war is over. She deserves to know, and more importantly, to know her family lives. I don't want her to live another day in uncertainty and fear."

"You're a sweet older brother, Kal," Lana said, as she rose up on her tiptoes and quickly brushed her lips against his cheek. Her father hid a smile at his daughter's willingness to risk a kiss, even a small kiss like that, in his presence. He knew even as little as a year ago, she'd never have allowed him to see something like that. _My little girl is growing up._

Knowing she only had a little time left to spend with Kal-El, Lana slipped her hand into his and pulled him along behind her to the highest point in the castle. Along the way, she picked up a super-heavy, ankle-length fur robe and a maid to chaperone them. The maid stayed just inside the castle and admonished Lana to stay where she could be seen. Lana smiled as she slipped into the fur robe Kal-El was holding for her.

"Don't worry," Lana replied. "I've come too far and have _far_ too much to lose to risk my honor now."

"You have my word," Kal-El added, "I will do nothing to give people reason to doubt Lady Lana's reputation."

The maid still eyed the prince like a filthy stable boy she expected to run off with the household silver at the first opportunity. "You just see that you _do_ that, your Highness, and we'll be fine."

As Lana and Kal-El moved out onto the roof of the main tower, Lana tried to apologize for the rough manner of the maid. "I'm sorry about that, Kal. She means well, and takes her duty very seriously."

Kal-El had been amused, and pleased, by the maid's willingness to stand up to him for Lana's sake. "I'm glad she does, Lana. Few things can equal the importance, to me at least, of you reaching our wedding day with your reputation intact."

Lana stepped in between two merlons and looked out over the valley below. The small town at the base of their hill was dark, but in the light of the full moon, she was able to pick out all the major buildings. Kal-El stepped in right behind her and wrapped his arms around her for a warm hug, before bringing his hands to rest on her shoulders. Feeling he had been brought here for a reason, Kal-El waited for Lana to speak.

She was quiet for a time, as she drank in her surroundings. "You know, Kal, this is my favorite view in the entire castle. I can look down over the town and the fields…and now, over the supply base…and I know it's ours. I feel good knowing my father is the one in charge of everything I see, the one in charge of our own little world, and yet…and yet, now I know there's a much larger world out there, one that my father _doesn't_ control, and I'm about to dive into it head first to stake my claim to the spot by your side.

"I guess I just wanted to come up here to take one last look at the simple life before I go."

Kal-El lightly squeezed Lana's shoulders and then instinctively pulled her back against him. "There are other views, Lana, ones I hope you'll learn to love just as much as this one, and another life to live that I hope you'll find more challenging and interesting and _fulfilling."_

Lana turned to face her man. Drenched in the nocturnal glow of the looming moon, they looked to the distant maid like a silvery sculpture, an ideal of what youthful love was supposed to look like. And as Kal-El's arms went around her shoulders to draw her in close, Lana stood up on her toes and pressed her lips against her prince once more, but this time, she didn't settle for his cheek.

Lips met lips in their own fiery embrace. Once…twice…three times they pressed against each other, until Kal-El managed to nibble on her upper lip and draw it slightly into his mouth before releasing it. They both knew they couldn't kiss long without risking other passions boiling up out of their young bodies, but they made the most of the time they had.

Kal-El was the first one to pull back, and as Lana burrowed her face into his warm chest, he held her close and said, "It's a good thing we stopped. Any longer and I would have started to worry your maid."

"_You?"_ Lana giggled. "_I_ would have had her gagging with horror as she rushed over to pull me off of you." She sobered up and asked, "When will I see you again?"

"Don't worry. I'll be waiting for you to arrive at the winter palace…and then I'll be by your side to help you find those new views and that new life."


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Packing

When Kal-El went to his rooms, upon leaving Lana for the evening, he found his prophecy was correct. He was set upon by a horde of servants, each determined that their lord's royal visitor should not do a single thing for himself, so much so, that Kal-El believed the servants would have done his breathing for him if it had been possible.

His sleep that night was unusually restful, a fact he attributed to being so close to Lana. His morning preparations were just as choked with 'helpful' servants as had been his going to bed the night before. The prince bore it with good grace, however, as he was used to being manhandled by well-intentioned servants, and because he knew he would see Lana at breakfast. He was ready and waiting when Lana came out of the family quarters, and they walked together to breakfast in the main hall.

"Sleep well, my lady?" Kal-El asked.

"Not really," Lana admitted "I had too many thoughts whirling through my head. Thoughts of our trip and what to pack for it, thoughts of having to win over your parents once we get the palace, thoughts of the palace itself, but mostly, thoughts of you." Lana blushed prettily and Kal-El squeezed her hand lightly. "I swear I could smell your scent long after you'd gone to bed. And well…that just made me want to kiss you again."

Kal-El pulled Lana into a secluded alcove and swept her into a brief but passionate kiss. "Was that what you had in mind?" he asked.

Lana was seeing stars after that kiss, and, feeling a bit giddy, said, "Oh yes! Only, the kisses I imagined lasted much longer."

"I know what you mean," Kal-El replied. "One taste of your sweet lips is not enough…it's _never_ enough. And each time I have to separate from you is harder than the last."

"Yeah. It's the same for me," Lana admitted. She hesitated and then went on. "I never imagined needing someone the way I need you. I have an almost desperate longing for you when we're apart, and seeing you come back is the greatest rush. I _love_ you, Kal."

"I love you too, Lana. I'd always _hoped_ to find someone to love…but you have surpassed all of my wildest imaginings." Kal-El took her hands in his. "Be strong for me and I'll be strong for you. We'll see each other again at the palace in a few weeks, and then the winter is ours."

"I'll like that very much." She tilted her head toward the main hall. "Come on, let's get in there before my father suspects something and sends someone to find us."

Kal-El wanted one more kiss, but acquiesced to her request, and the two of them made their way into the main hall. Having a long day ahead, everyone was eating heartily, even the ladies.

Lana expected Kal-El to leave once breakfast was over, but when she asked him about it, Kal-El said, "It's early here, and since I can fly faster than the planet rotates, I'd end up getting there earlier than I left here, so I'm staying here until your family leaves for Königsberg."

"Oh. I guess I have to get used to making those kinds of calculations myself."

"I hope not," Kal-El replied. "I usually don't fly that much. The war and its aftermath have me using my abilities much more than I'd like to."

"Well…I'd like to be able to spend the morning with you, Kal," Lana admitted, "but I have to get back to the family quarters and help direct my maids as they pack my things so we can leave."

"And since I'm not allowed anywhere near your private rooms," Kal-El said, as he picked up on what Lana was getting at, "I'll need to find some way of entertaining myself in the meantime."

Kal-El escorted Lana as far as he was allowed, and then released her regretfully before heading down to borrow a horse. He knew the Langs were quite some time away from leaving if Lana hadn't even started packing yet, so he had decided to take a personal look at the base his lady love had built.

The servants had dressed him in something appropriately royal, but much less showy than his ultra formal full-dress uniform. _That_ was something he was saving for a special occasion once he found Mara and had to spend time in the Anglian court. Still, any form of royal white and gold should be enough to gain him admittance to the base, and if not, he could always call for someone to verify his identity. But when the castellan heard of the prince's wish, he not only made sure the prince was equipped with one of Baron Lang's best horses, he also sent for the steward, who sent his top assistant, as he himself was busy with supervising the preparations for the family's trip.

Kal-El had tried to forgo an escort, but the castellan thought a guide would be good, both to help avoid any misunderstandings, and to give the prince something of a guided tour. And of course, they couldn't go anywhere without a decent-sized escort of purple-and-gold clad Lang soldiers to make sure no one messed with them.

Kal-El spent half of the trip down the winding road to town making the young assistant feel comfortable in his presence. He couldn't really blame the guy, as he likely hadn't had any idea he would spend the morning in one-on-one conversation with the prince, but Kal-El was used to this sort of reaction and was somewhat tired of it. _I can't allow myself to think that way, _Kal-El admonished himself. _For many of these people, it's the only contact they'll have with their royal family during the course of their lives._

Once the assistant steward relaxed somewhat, he became a veritable font of information on the town and the combination supply base and makeshift hospital. Kal-El learned the base was still well-supplied and that there were few wounded left in the hospital. Most had either recovered enough to be sent home, or else had died from their wounds and been buried. He also learned the steward would be the one responsible for seeing to the supplies and the remaining wounded during Lord Lang's absence.

"Lady Lana did a remarkable job getting this built, your Highness."

Having seen the base, Kal-El already agreed, but he wanted the perspective of someone not involved with his courtship of Lana, so he asked, "How so?"

"She came back and took over from three highly intelligent, experienced, and competent men. Men who'd proven themselves to Lord Lang over and over. There was every chance for her to insult the men with a careless gesture or inconsiderate word, which might have turned them against her.

"Instead, Lady Lana got them to accept her and then convinced them to work _with_ her, not _for_ her, and everything was as smooth as could be hoped for after that."

"So…getting them to help her, instead of just following her orders was the key, in your opinion?"

"Oh yes, your Highness," the assistant steward said. "She had all the expertise she needed in those three men. Getting them to want to help her was the key to a smooth building process."

Even though he hadn't believed it possible, Kal-El's admiration for Lana's skills, particularly her sheer competence, grew with each word from the assistant steward's mouth. By the time the small party returned to the castle to await the family's departure, they learned things were running a bit behind schedule, and Lord Lang had ordered a good-sized lunch for everyone. After the meal, they would finally get going. That meant another meal spent by Lana's side for Kal-El, who was one person not complaining about the unexpected delay.

Seeing Lois sitting just down the table from him during the meal made the prince think of another man whose hopes for a new start in love and in life resided in this very room. "Does Lois ever mention Bruce?" Kal-El asked. "Is he wasting his time with her?"

"Lois and Bruce?" Lana asked. "I hand-delivered that message from him you had given to me, but Lois didn't mention it again. Lois has been playing things close to the vest ever since she's been feeling increased pressure to marry. I don't know if anyone caught her eye, and vice-versa, after I left Krakovia, so she could have admirers from there. Other than that, she hasn't seen much in the way of gentlemen callers since their return." _More like _no_ callers, _Lana thought, _but Kal doesn't need to know that._

"Would you mind if I went to talk to her for a minute?" Kal-El asked. "I just want to put in a good word for Bruce."

"You think he deserves her?" Lana asked, somewhat surprised, but very pleased to see Kal putting himself on the line for his friend.

Kal-El looked down and licked his lips before his eyes came up and claimed hers once more. "I think he deserves _better_ than her," Kal-El said, "but she is what he wants. Far be it from me to dissuade a man from the woman he has chosen."

Lana shooed him away with both hands. "Go on, talk to her."

Everyone in the hall had stood when Kal-El did, and that was enough to irritate him. It reminded him of what was in store for him when he returned home. More pomp, more rituals, more of everything he hadn't realized he hated until he'd been able to escape it for a few months.

"Everyone, please be seated. And when I rise once more, please stay in your seats." Feeling a need to excuse his sudden order, he added, "That will allow us to eat faster and get the Baron and his daughters on the road as soon as possible."

"Hi, Lois," Kal-El said as he approached Lois' shoulder. "May I sit beside you?"

"Like I'd deny _you_ the right to sit anywhere you wished to, your Highness," Lois said baldly. Once Kal-El took the seat beside her, she asked, "To what do I owe the signal honor of a private conversation with the Crown Prince of Alemannia?"

Kal-El rolled his eyes at Lois' little dig, and said, "We don't have time for the niceties of civilized conversation, Lois, so I'm going to be very direct."

Curious to see what the prince had in mind, Lois set down her utensils and waited. "Please, your Highness, do go on."

"What feelings do you have for Sir Bruce?" Kal-El felt it couldn't hurt to mention Bruce's knightly rank. "As his lord, I have some interest in whom he pursues."

"He's yours now?" Lois asked.

"He didn't tell you?"

"No. He spent all of his words…" Lois paused and smiled then, a private sort of smile Kal-El wished he hadn't been there to witness. "…let me just say he used his words sparingly but well."

"Thank you, Lois. That's all I needed to hear." As Kal-El started to rise and turn away, he added, "And quit calling me 'your Highness.' This isn't court."

"Maybe not," Lois said, "but I need the practice." She shook her head in disbelief. "Sucking up to _you_ is going to be tough."

Kal-El burst out laughing and returned to Lana without further comment. The rest of the meal was unexceptionable, and soon, Kal-El was standing at Lana's side as she prepared to climb into her father's largest, fanciest carriage. That made it the best out of two, but the best of two is still the best.

"Travel safely."

"Me?" Lana smiled. "You're the one that's flying over the ocean."

"Yes, but you're the one that has to worry about roadside bandits, both natural and political."

"Don't worry about that. Father's not taking any chances. We're taking a full two-hundred armored horsemen with us, including all of our knights."

"Good. It's good to know he's serious about this." Kal-El held out his hand for Lana to use as she climbed into the carriage. When she sat and looked back at him, they both managed to muster a smile. Their last 'I love yous' were simultaneous, and then Kal-El shut the door before another moment could pass and find him tearing up.

As the carriage pulled away, crossed the courtyard, and passed through the gatehouse, Kal-El kept his eyes on it until it was completely out of his normal sight. "I love you, Lana Lang," the prince then mumbled. "I love you so very much."


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

The Royal Messenger

Mara rode her horse through the sparsely wooded countryside that surrounded Sudbury Castle. Even though she was Kryptonian, and thus nearly invincible, King Richard still insisted on her being accompanied by a suitably large escort of knights. Having men with her necessitated adding some more ladies to the party to help protect her reputation, with the result being that the large party moved much more slowly than Mara would have had she been by herself.

Faster movement wasn't the only thing Mara wanted this morning. She wanted Richard to be riding by her side, whether he was telling her amusing stories of life at the Anglian court, or was just keeping her company. Most mornings he did find the time to join her, but not today, because the Alemannian ambassador, Lord Utrecht, had requested an audience.

Displeased with having her favorite companion taken from her by someone who worked for her father, Mara had declined Richard's invitation to join him in court to welcome the ambassador. _The fish-breathed old man can wait on my pleasure if he wants to see me, _Mara groused. _Surely he could have waited until afternoon when the ladies and I are in the solarium. He knows my schedule by now._

The ladies and knights returned to the castle in plenty of time to clean up before the midday meal, and as Mara handed off her horse to a stable boy, she was approached by a respectful palace servant who waited to be recognized before speaking.

"You have a message for me?" Mara asked politely.

"Yes, your Highness. A royal messenger came to the palace with Ambassador Utrecht."

"A royal messenger?" Excitement bloomed in Mara's voice as the thought of some merchant landing at the nearby port with information on the war. So focused was she on the thought of news, that she almost missed the servant's reply.

"Yes, Ma'am. An _Alemannian_ royal messenger."

Once the man's words registered in her mind, Mara whirled around and headed for the nearest entrance to the castle proper. She'd taken no more than two steps when a tall young man stepped out of the shadow of the wall and headed straight for her.

Mara stopped, cocked her head to one side, and squinted at the advancing man. _Huh! He sort of looks like Kal, except Kal's got long hair, and he's off in the middle of the war. Am I _ever_ missing my family. Now even messengers are starting to look like…to look like…_Mara took a second look at the messenger, this time using her Kryptonian telescopic sight…_to look like my stupid brother!_

Sure at last that the so-called messenger was in fact her beloved brother, Mara hastily thanked the servant and hitched up her divided riding skirt before racing across the grass toward Kal-El. Seeing that his cover was blown at last, Kal-El smiled widely as he opened his arms and waited.

It was only a matter of seconds before Mara careened into Kal-El's arms, and the two hugged each other fiercely as the onlookers wondered who Princess Mara was being so familiar with. When they pulled back from each other at long last, Mara ruffled her hands through Kal-El's hair, which was much shorter than it had been at any time since at _least_ her tenth birthday.

"What in the world did you do to your hair, Kal? The girls will hate it," Mara opined, "but father is probably thrilled."

"He managed to keep his excitement under control," Kal-El said.

Mara's ladies in waiting gathered and approached their princess, but stayed at a respectful distance as they waited to be signaled forward. A few of the knights in Mara's riding party approached also, as protecting the princess was their duty.

Seeing the concern from the knights, Mara turned to them and made a formal introduction. "Good Sirs! It is my extreme pleasure to introduce you to Kal-El, Crown Prince of Alemannia and Duke of Borussia. He also happens to be my older brother." The men all bowed and Kal-El returned the bow before Mara then introduced each of the knights who had approached. Satisfied the princess was in no danger, the men continued inside, while Mara's ladies lingered.

"So, Kal, what's the news from home?" She was assuming it was good, or at least mostly so since her brother had come all the way out here to give it to her, so she prodded him to get on with telling her.

"We won the war, Mara. Mother and Father are unharmed, and are already on their way home."

Even though she had already expected the news, hearing the actual words did something to Mara. It seemed to take a load off of her back that she wasn't even conscious of bearing. She slumped into her brother's arms and gave voice to a cry of pure relief.

Her ladies did some impromptu celebrating upon hearing the news, but that was cut short when Kal-El admitted he didn't know whether their families had survived the war or not. He did, however, promise to take a list of their family members back with him and return once his staff had determined the fate of everyone on the list.

As soon as the young ladies had been assured that everything would be done to help them learn of their families' fates, they turned their interests upon the _other_ Kent in the two-person hug.

Kal-El wasn't just a prince, he was also thought to be the richest man in Alemannia other than the king, and possibly the handsomest to boot. All of which made him the number one marriage target of every lady present.

For his part, Kal-El had always been quick to flirt with Mara's ladies throughout the years, as he'd always assumed his future wife would be one of their number. Besides, sometimes his flirting had paid off with a furtive kiss just out of his sister's sight. But this time, instead of diving right in and flirting, he was pleasant and charming, but made no move whatsoever on any of Alemannia's finest young women.

Mara noted the difference, and as they all headed inside the castle, she held him back and asked him about it rather pointedly. "Who is she?"

"Who is _who?"_

"Don't start with me, Kal," Mara warned. "You are normally on my ladies like a bear on a honeycomb. Both you and the bear are after one thing: getting as much honey out of the comb as possible."

"Hey! That's unfair. I've never even tried to get anything more than a kiss from _any_ girl, much less one whose father is rich and powerful enough to get his daughter appointed as one of your ladies-in-waiting."

Mara nudged her brother in the ribs with an elbow and broke out in a giggle fit. "I know Kal, but sometimes you're just too easy to tease." When Kal didn't fight back, but instead just stared at the ground, Mara knew she was on to something. "Wait! You mean to tell me there really _is_ someone special back home? Someone you found in the war?" Mara looked back and forth as if her parents might be somewhere nearby. "Does _Mother_ know?"

Kal-El grimaced slightly. "Yes, Mother knows. So does Father. And it seems a lot of other people do too. The bad news is: she's not on Mother's short list and her Father doesn't have enough rank, yet anyway, to excite Father enough to have him order Mother to accept my choice."

"You've made a _choice?" _Mara was beyond stunned. "That's…that's _incredible!" _She'd only been gone for a little over half a year, and now her brother, who'd always been happy to wait when it came to marriage, was ready to get down to the business of producing royal heirs. When all he did was nod his head 'yes,' she led him into the castle and directed him through a maze of passages to end up in her private sitting room, and then finally asked, "If that's the bad news, what's the _good_ news?"

"Our parents _are_ giving her a chance to prove herself. Her family has been summoned to the palace to spend the entire winter as our guests."

"Who's the lucky girl, Kal?" Mara wondered who he had chosen. He'd had just about every eligible girl in the kingdom paraded past him at one time or another. "No, don't tell me, let me guess."

Kal stopped Mara from talking with a finger pressed to her lips. "Don't guess. You've never met her. You've likely never even heard her name."

Hearing that pronouncement put Mara on pins and needles. When her brother didn't immediately blurt out the name of his intended, she said, "Well? Don't keep me waiting. Tell me!"

"Okay. Okay." Kal-El took a deep breath and said, "She's Lady Lana Elizabeth Lang, the second daughter of Lord Lewis Lang, the Baron of Roskilde." He was apprehensive as he waited for Mara's reaction. In many ways, what his sister thought meant more to him than the opinions of either parent.

"Oh, Kal…" Mara said. She knew how well the choice of a baron's daughter had to have gone over with her parents. As she thought about it further, she wondered how in the world Kal had managed to get them to give this girl any consideration at all. "Did her father do something heroic in war? I mean, how did you…?"

"…get them to give Lana a chance?" When his sister nodded, he said, "Her father didn't do anything heroic, but I did hide with his family in Krakovia for a time, and when I went to war, I made him my quartermaster and gave him the money to buy supplies and set up a supply base for us."

Mara was shaking her head 'no' before her brother even finished. "That's not enough and you know it…there's no _way_ that gets this baron's daughter a shot at your hand."

"I wasn't done yet, Kiddo."

"Oh. Sorry."

"What _did_ get Lana her chance," Kal-El said, "besides my fervent begging, was what _she_ did during the war."

"Oh?" Mara sat up straight and then leaned in a bit. This was bound to be something interesting.

"First off, Lord Lang has no sons, but he needed to send someone to Roskilde to oversee the construction of the supply base while he stayed behind to buy supplies and ship them to Roskilde. Since he'd always had his daughters educated like men, he chose his most levelheaded daughter, who was my Lana, of course.

"She succeeded admirably, and by that time, I was with the army and headed toward the base. We had decided we were going to have to fight at least once before we could reach winter quarters, so I sent an order to Lord Lang, who I thought was at Roskilde, and ordered him to use my signet ring to order the nearby loyalist lords to gather their armies at Roskilde and then march over the mountain pass to join us."

"But Lady Lana was the one who received the letter. How did she get that many proud nobles to obey her? Most of those men were much more likely to kiss a pretty girl than to obey her…I'm just _assuming_ she's pretty."

The mention of Lana's beauty caused Kal-El to stop in mid-thought. Mara watched in astonishment as a transformation swept across his face. "'Pretty' is only the slightest hint at the beauty she possesses." Thinking he was lost for words, Kal added, "I'd tell you more, if only I could. Mere words can't hope to compete with the sparkle of her hazel eyes, the shimmer of her chocolate curls, the glow of her alabaster skin, or the pout of her plump, kissable lips." He sighed, and then concluded, "She's beyond compare."

"You _sighed,_ Kal," Mara said in astonishment. "You sighed about a _girl!"_

"No…I sighed about my future wife." Kal-El had been looking off into the distance, when he said that, but his gaze returned to Mara and he said, "You've _got_ to meet her, you've just _got_ to."

"I will I'm sure, but that pleasure will have to wait for spring."

"No it doesn't. Fly back with me. I know you have to stay here for the winter with your ladies, but just a few days should be all right, and then you can carry the news of their families back to them yourself."

Mara agreed, figuring that making Kal come to Anglia a second time when she could just as easily get the information herself was unfair. And besides, she wanted to meet this woman who had so completely stolen her brother's heart. She had to know for herself if this Lady Lana was worthy of becoming an El.

Kal spent the rest of the time before lunch explaining how Lana had gotten the lords to follow her. That had earned an appreciative smile from Mara, but when she heard about Lana's exploits in the battle itself, and how her actions had turned the tide of the battle and ultimately won the war, she finally nodded her understanding of how Lady Lana had won a spot in such elite company.

"My God! She's a national heroine! People must be going nuts. I _know_ all the girls must be. I can hardly wait to meet her myself." Mara stood and began to pace excitedly. "Too bad Grandma's off on her world tour, because this is the kind of story that would make her smile."

"World tour my ass," Kal-El said. "You know as well as I do why Grandma Von Schalkenberg left."

"Yeah, but calling it a world tour makes it more palatable."

Looking at his toes, Kal-El murmured, "It sure beats 'self-imposed exile.'"


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Kal-El Knows

"Have you been introduced to the king yet, Kal?" Mara asked. She was being cagey when it came to King Richard as she strongly suspected her devoted brother wouldn't be too happy once he learned how close she and Richard had become.

"Yeah…I told Lord Utrecht to ask for a private audience so I could be introduced to the king without anyone else knowing who I was."

"Why?"

"I wanted to surprise you, Mara, and since news in a palace spreads fast, I needed to make sure no one else knew other than the king."

"So, how did it go?" Mara asked simply. "What do you think of my warden?"

"He seems to be an amiable fellow, but we didn't get to talk much, because once he learned I had war news for you, he instantly rushed me out of the room, forbidding me to tell him until I had told you first." Kal-El scratched his head bemusedly. "I've never before met a ruler who wanted so much to _not_ learn important information."

"That's because of me," Mara said, as she carefully defended her man. "He's had a standing order that anyone who came to the castle with news on the war was to be sent to me immediately. He knew how hard this has been for me, and was kind enough to do what he could to alleviate my suffering."

"I like him better already," Kal-El replied. "The man was entrusted with your honor, health, and well-being. Making sure that you didn't have to suffer needlessly is no less than I would expect from him."

"Speaking of the king," Mara said, "I need to leave you now and go get cleaned up for the midday meal. But after that, I'd be happy to continue catching up with you."

"That sounds nice," Kal-El said. "I can tell you all about Lana, and _you,"_ he teased, "can tell me all about _your_ suitors."

Mara gulped, _hard,_ and said, "Umm…maybe. We'll see."

Kal-El's eyebrows shot up as he gauged his sister's unexpected response. "Since I know these people can't all be blind, I have to assume you've had more than your share of suitors, and since father hadn't yet allowed anyone to court you back home, I've figured you would be pleased by the attention and have all sorts of amusing stories to tell me. But if it's bad enough that you don't _want _to tell…then I guess I'll tell Mother and Father that they won't find a husband for you out here."

"Noooo!" Mara said hastily, "don't do that!"

"Then there _are _suitors." Kal-El nodded his head thoughtfully at Mara's sickly reaction to his statement. "Or should I say, there's _one_ suitor in particular. I'll want to meet him, Mara."

"That's just what I'm afraid of, Kal," Mara said plaintively. "I know how touchy you can get when it comes to protecting me."

"Mother and Father will want to know when I return, Mara," Kal-El pointed out. "And besides, with the king himself looking out for you, what man here would _dare_ trifle with you?"

Mara wasn't worried about someone 'trifling' with her, she was worried what her brother would say once he learned the man in her heart was none other than the king himself. It was not a moment to which she was looking forward.

By the time Kal-El and Mara had cleaned up and dressed for lunch, the story of the secret arrival of Princess Mara's brother…her _single _brother…her rumored to be very _handsome_ single brother…had spread throughout the castle. Everyone who was anyone in the castle made a point of attending the meal.

Kal-El knew he was supposed to be formally introduced to the Anglian court after the meal, so he wore a relatively sober suit of clothes so that he wouldn't stand out and require an immediate introduction. Mara dressed well but plainly also, as the meal was a regular part of her day and required no special formality. One look at her brother as she found him waiting for her just outside of the women's quarters was all she needed to know he had wasted his time in dressing down.

"After I introduced you to everyone outside, there's no way you're sneaking into the meal. Besides…you're huge, and," Mara winked at Kal-El, "my ladies _assure_ me you're rather easy to look at, too."

"King Richard won't thank me for messing up his surprise, and he surely won't thank you for helping me do it."

"You might be surprised," Mara replied. Her air of mystery and her calm assurance both surprised her brother, who wondered why she thought the king wouldn't mind so much.

Lunch was served in the great hall, with the tables being brought in from where they normally rested along the sides of the room. The castle was very much a working, defensive strongpoint, and as such, had little in the way of purpose-built luxury rooms like a formal dining room, other than the king's private apartments, so the use of the great hall as throne room and dining area was just a natural bit of functionality.

Once in the great hall, Kal-El seated Mara in the chair placed on the right of the king's chair. He was then shown to a seat on her other side by a servant. As Kal-El slid his chair under the head table, Mara murmured, "A number of these people would usually eat their noonday meal down in town, but I think we have the novelty of a new prince to thank for their attendance today."

"Great," Kal-El said sourly. He looked around the room, trying to see which women were giving him 'the eye,' as he called it, while keeping a pleasant smile on his face. Just as Kal-El was about to make a remark about the looks he was getting, the king was announced and all present rose as he entered the room from the small doorway directly behind his oversized chair. As Richard took his seat, everyone else followed suit and then the king gestured to a senior servant to begin serving the meal.

When the food was distributed, but before the king began to eat, thus before anyone began to eat, Richard stood and waved everyone to stay in their seats. "As most of you know by now," he began, "We have received a visitor today, a very welcome visitor. We had planned for a formal presentation of Our visitor in a special afternoon session of the royal court, but have learned since then that Princess Mara chose to introduce Our guest to the knights of her escort and then his identity spread throughout the castle. Thus We give to you, Kal-El, Crown Prince of Alemannia and Duke of Borussia."

Caught flat-footed by Richard's public announcement, Kal-El regained his footing quickly and stood while waving ever so slightly at the crowd. "I don't have any remarks prepared, but I do want all to know that I am here to spend some time with my sister, after letting her know that the recent revolution in our homeland has been crushed and that our parents survived unscathed." A general murmur of approbation rolled through the crowd, as all present were nobles of some sort and none of them was comfortable with the idea of a revolution. "Also, and this is something I have yet to tell my sister, the man who sought my parents' deaths, my death, and my sister's hand in marriage, has been found guilty of high treason and has been executed for his crime. Lord General Dru-Zod is no more."

Another, louder sound of approval swept across the crowd, with one loud voice proclaiming, "I wish _I'd_ had the satisfaction of dealing with that upstart."

"No you don't," Kal-El said sharply. "Trust me, there was no _satisfaction_ in being the man who killed the greatest hero in recent Alemannian history. I only wish there had been another way to handle the situation."

Mara was quick to realize her brother meant _he_ had been the one to kill the renegade Duke, Dru-Zod, and she reached over to squeeze his forearm in support of him. She was pleased that he wasn't proud of what he'd done, but she planned to ask for the whole story later. Mara didn't want to glorify the killing either, but she did plan to be proud of her brother for helping end the war.

Kal-El looked over to his sister and was gratified by the understanding he saw in her eyes. The noontime meal was relatively simple by royal standards and the crowd was soon going about their business, which for a number of the ladies meant trying to meet the prince. The problem for those ladies was that court etiquette wouldn't allow them to walk up and introduce themselves to the prince as he clearly outranked them. If they wanted an introduction, they either had to attract his interest and have him ask an acquaintance of his to make an introduction, or else find an acquaintance of his who was willing to ask the prince if he would allow an introduction.

Either way, most of the women present knew their best chance to get closer to the crown prince was through his sister. They knew Princess Mara's ladies-in-waiting weren't likely to help them out too much, as that would only add to their competition, but his sister might not mind. And who knows, maybe the prince would welcome fresh company provided by well-bred women he hadn't yet met.

When Mara saw a few women headed her way, she ruthlessly grabbed her brother and headed for the nearest door. "Time to go, Kal."

"Huh?"

"Unless you want your devotion to Lady Lana to be tested."

"By _those_ women?" Kal asked. He was rather incredulous, and his tone of voice showed it. He looked back over his shoulder for another look, even as Mara hustled him out the door. "Nope. Not gonna happen, Mara. Those ladies are delightful, I'm sure, but nothing I saw in there could tempt me away from my Lana, even if I _wasn't_ in love with her."

"She's _that_ pretty, huh?" Now that they were out of the great hall, Mara was walking by Kal-El's side. "I know you waxed poetic about her beauty earlier, but you really mean to tell me she's more beautiful than _all_ of those women back there?"

"Easily. I think she's even more beautiful than Lady Ingrid Dax-Ur."

"Lady Ingrid…Lady Ingrid…" Mara quirked an eyebrow up at her brother. "You mean the kisser?"

"The kisser?" Kal laughed.

"You know, the one you got caught _tonguing_ in the hedge maze during your birthday party a few years ago." Her tone of voice showed she was amused by her brother's past indiscretion, but her emphasis on the word 'tonguing' made it clear she still considered such behavior to have been shocking at the time.

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, Little Sister," Kal-El replied. "There's an extra intensity of feeling when it happens…and if I ever find out you've tried it before your wedding night, I'll be tempted to pull out the tongue of the offending man." His words sounded serious, but his tone of voice didn't. Still, Mara thought it would be best to make sure he never learned whether she had or hadn't tried it herself.

Kal-El, meanwhile, was thinking of the last kiss he'd shared with Lana in that secluded alcove. It had been brief but intense. His tongue had made it's way into her open mouth, where she had surprised him by responding, and doing so quickly. It had been his shock at her response that had made him break off the kiss so quickly. And _then_ it had made him want more, but he'd quickly realized that had to be saved for another time.

Mara and her ladies normally spent the afternoon in the solarium with a number of the other ladies of the court, but not today. Instead, they formed a large party with Kal-El at its center and headed for the formal gardens on the far side of the castle's defensive moat.

Mara kept her brother's blossoming romance a secret, figuring it was his story to tell if he chose, so her ladies gamely flirted with him as they walked, but got little more than pleasantries out of him in return.

Lady Elaine Ricard, the last girl to be added to Mara's ladies-in-waiting before they'd left home, pulled the princess aside and asked if something was amiss with her brother the prince.

"No, why do you ask?" Mara wondered.

"I…forgive me your Highness, but I was given to understand that Prince Kal-El _liked_ flirting with women in general and your ladies in particular. And yet…" She gestured toward the prince, who was engaging the ladies in earnest conversation, but was deftly turning away any flirtatious overtures.

"Maybe his time with the army during the war has made him a more serious man. You can see he's more than willing to talk, he just doesn't seem to have any interest in flirting."

"Have the king and queen found him a wife yet? I mean, knowing who you're going to marry might cause such a change."

Mara slowly nodded her head. "He may indeed know who his future wife is." _Or at least who he hopes she is._

Just about then, Mara's party was met in one of the garden's more open areas by the king and a small group of his closest friends. The women curtseyed and Kal-El bowed and were promptly told to rise. Kal-El watched quietly, trying to see who amongst the king's friends was Mara's chosen admirer. But none of them spoke to her as they passed; all of their comments were directed at the ladies around Kal-El. Only the king himself spoke to Mara, and while it wasn't surprising for the king to speak to his ward, her flustered reaction _was_ a surprise.

A quick, uncertain look by Mara back over her shoulder at Kal-El was all he needed to put the pieces of the puzzle together: Mara's as of yet unnamed suitor was none other than the king himself, the one man who was _supposed_ to be looking out for her welfare. Kal-El found his mood souring rapidly, and soon excused himself from the party to return to the castle. _Looks like Father trusted the fox to guard the henhouse._

Mara felt her heart sink, as she'd seen the look of recognition on Kal's face when she had turned back in the hope that he wasn't watching. She knew that Kal knew. And she also knew he wasn't happy with what he knew. Finally, she knew he had a temper when he was unhappy. She just hoped and prayed he'd learned a little more self-control during their time apart.


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Testing the King

Mara came looking for her brother the moment she returned to the castle. She knew that waiting to face him would only delay what was going to be a most unpleasant meeting. When she found him, he was on the top of the tallest tower in the castle, looking out toward the not too distant sea. She walked up behind him and placed a hand on his bicep and gave it a little squeeze.

"Kal?" she said, with some hesitation. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

Kal-El didn't turn around. He stayed up against the crenellated wall, using his telescopic sight to watch the seagulls dive for fish. He needed something else to focus on to keep from lashing out. "I'm not mad at _you,_ Kiddo," he said. "I'm _furious_ with the king. Some guardian he turned out to be."

"Don't be that way, Kal," Mara pled. "Richard didn't try to seduce me or anything, and no one else tried anything either. In fact, the conduct of the gentlemen here has been nothing short of exemplary during my stay."

"And yet…you are in love with him."

"Yes, I am. I don't deny it," Mara said. She had decided that bold was the way to handle Kal-El today.

Kal-El took one hand off the stonework to run it through his wavy ebon locks. "You don't understand, Mara. Father will be sorely tempted to rip off Richard's head." He searched for a way to explain the danger. "You are still a minor, Mara. Father sent his only daughter, legally still a child, to King Richard to house her and protect her. While under other circumstances Father might want a marriage alliance with a sea power like Anglia, right now he's likely to be furious that King Richard 'took advantage' of his position as your guardian to make you fall in love with him."

Mara's already fair-complexioned skin paled further as she tried to imagine her father's reaction. "What do you think he will do?"

"I'm not sure. He could choose to declare war over the insult once you and your ladies come home, and then, he would likely marry you to someone else as fast as humanly possible…preferably as far away from Anglia as he could arrange. That's a worst-case scenario.

"Alternatively, he could demand a humiliating public apology from King Richard for violating the trust that Father placed in him, and then insist that the king marry one of your ladies as penance for that violation."

"Umm…what's the _best_-case scenario, Kal?"

Kal could tell from Mara's pleading tone of voice that she desperately needed to hear something hopeful right now. _She's so in love. If the king doesn't return her sentiment, I swear I'll…_Kal was afraid to complete that sentence, even in his mind, for fear of making a promise he might feel obligated to keep. His sister was the second most important person in his life, and anyone who trifled with her affections was asking for an up-close-and-personal meeting with his fists.

"Best-case? Best-case…hmm…I think that would start with King Richard convincing me that he loves you as much as you obviously love him." He gave his sister a mock glare which immediately softened into a helpless smile. "Due to my current situation with Lady Lana, I can hardly fault a true love match for _you_ if I want one for myself. But convincing me is not going to be easy. Any further plans will have to wait until such time as I am convinced."

Mara didn't stay with Kal-El much longer, but she couldn't get in to see the king because he was having a high-level meeting with his primary advisors. She retreated to the solarium and spent the rest of her afternoon doing needlepoint and gossiping with the other women of the court. She found herself to be the center of attention, and for once it wasn't because of the attention the king paid to her. This time, everyone wanted to know all about her gorgeous brother.

Is he married? No.

Is he betrothed? Another no.

The women were in full information gathering mode, as it wasn't every day that an unmarried crown prince visited their remote island kingdom. For her part, Mara didn't have the heart to tell the ladies that Kal-El's own heart was already spoken for, and she didn't mind making things a little bit uncomfortable for him after the way he had given her a rough time over Richard, and because she was still steamed that her love had to prove himself to her brother. It was bad enough that Richard would have to win the approval of her parents.

Kal-El had spent his afternoon being introduced to a number of the leading men of the king's court. The younger ones anyway. The older nobles had stayed behind in the capital, which was farther north and somewhat colder, mostly because they tended to have palatial mansions near Richard's palace and saw no need to stoop to rustic accommodations just to be close to the king.

The evening meal was a much more formal affair than lunch had been, and being forewarned, Kal-El put on his second best uniform, a royal white with gold jacket and black trousers, before finding his way back to the great hall. This time, a formal seating plan had been arranged, leaving Kal-El seated fairly close to the king, but between two Anglian ladies he'd not yet met.

Mara was seated at Richard's right hand, and the first thing she said to him upon his arrival was a murmured, "He knows about us."

"Then…I'd best talk to him as soon as I can." Richard eyed Kal-El and then returned his gaze to Mara. "You _did_ say he's the overprotective sort, if I remember correctly."

"He won't be satisfied unless you prove to him that you love me," Mara warned, "and aren't just toying with my affections, or using me for my connections."

After the first course was served, Richard wondered out loud, "How in the devil am I supposed to prove _that?"_

The meal passed slowly for Kal-El, as he spent a great deal of his time between bites fending off the attentions of the ladies seated on either side of him. By the time the dessert course was served, he was wondering if these two women were the most desperate single women in the whole kingdom and if Mara had had a hand in arranging the seating so he would be stuck with them.

When the meal ended and the king departed, everyone else headed to wherever they would spend the night, but a castle servant strode up to Kal-El and informed him that the king was requesting the pleasure of his company in the castle's central courtyard. Used to train the soldiers in the castle, it was the largest piece of open ground inside the castle walls, and was the best the king could do to assure their privacy. Kal-El was escorted to the king, and once there, the escort left. Kal-El remained silent, as it was the king's place to speak.

Richard paced nervously, hands behind his back and looking at his toes. Occasionally, he'd look up at the prince and wondered if he was already being judged. He came to a stop, squared his body with that of his companion, and said, "I called you here to tell you something that is _not _a state secret, in fact, it's not any kind of secret at all." Richard's hands came out from behind his back and he shrugged. "I am hopelessly in love with your sister."

"So's every other man who's ever met her; join the guild," Kal-El replied. His voice was glacial. The prince began to circle the king as if he were nothing more than prey. "What I want to know is what attracts you to her? Her beauty? Her family connections? The chance of producing children with our physical abilities?" He continued circling the king until he was immediately in front of him once more. "Which is it?"

Kal-El had been watching the king closely as he launched into his attack, and noticed his fists clenching and the way his shoulders got tighter with each additional insulting question. Both reactions were signs of anger, which in this case were good signs. _He's offended by me. Good. Maybe there's some real affection here after all._

"You're mad," Kal-El said. "Why don't you hit me? You don't think my father would let Mara marry a coward, do you?"

"Rather a coward than a moron, I should think." Richard shook his head slightly. "Hit a Kryptonian? I'm not stupid."

That was just the opening Kal-El was looking for. "Oh, your Majesty," he said mockingly, "that is where I _humbly_ beg to differ." Kal-El's tone of voice changed from mocking back to glacial. "You were entrusted with one of my father's most precious treasures in the person of my sister, Princess Mara Jor-El. You were to be her _guardian, _to _protect_ her from those who would take advantage of her trusting nature…and yet, who do I find her claiming to be in love with? The very man charged with her protection.

"It's amazing how that worked out," Kal-El sneered. "How better to protect the most eligible maiden on the continent from all the other men than by abusing your privileged position to make an impressionable sixteen year old girl fall in love with _you."_

"But that's not how it happened!" Richard protested.

"Maybe…maybe not," Kal-El replied, "but that's _exactly_ how it will look to my parents when they find out."

The king blanched upon hearing that. He knew what _his _reaction to hearing news like that would be. He only hoped King Jor-El and Queen Lara would choose to see things differently than the way the prince suggested they would.

"Gods…there'd be a war."

"Possibly, but I'd bet my fortune Mara _would_ be married off to someone other than you, likely as quickly as royal protocol would allow."

"Then…what do I _do?" _Richard asked. "I'll do anything that doesn't compromise my kingdom…_anything_…if it means Mara will be my wife and queen."

Kal-El could hear the raw emotion pouring out from Richard's heart, and it resonated with his own. He knew that he, too, would do anything short of damaging Alemannia to ensure that Lana would be the one standing by his side at the altar on the day he married. He was finally convinced; Richard loved Mara.

"I _was_ looking forward to beating you half to death," Kal-El admitted. "I love my sister, and would do anything to protect her…or in this case, to help her. I don't know exactly how to make this work, but you, Mara, and I need to have a serious planning discussion if we're going to pull this off."

The two men shook hands and made tentative arrangements to meet the next day to see what plans they could come up with. As Kal-El finally left the king's presence, glad the man hadn't taken permanent offense at the way he'd been treated in his own castle, he realized just what trouble he was in now. _Shit! I don't even know how to get my parents to allow me to marry the woman I love, and here I am offering my so-called "valuable" advice to help Mara marry Richard. Me and my big mouth._


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Homecoming

The next-day meeting between Richard, Kal-El, and Mara got off to a rocky start when Mara discovered what her well-meaning brother had put Richard through the night before. A full-armed slap to the jaw knocked Kal-El across the room, where he skidded into the legs of a standing suit of steel plate armor, which destroyed the legs even as the rest of the suit fell on top of him with a resounding crash.

When he disentangled himself from the armor and began to stand, Mara placed a foot on his chest and pushed him flat on the stone-flagged floor, as she said, "I wouldn't _move_ if I were you. I'm not done with you yet…_Brother."_ The last word was laced with contempt, and Kal-El stayed flat on his back, as he knew he'd woken the sleeping dragon. His temper always near the surface, easily roused, and hot…Mara's was buried deep, hard to find, and as blazing hot as the Sun itself when it did surface.

_The royal heraldic beast isn't a dragon by accident, _Kal-El thought ruefully, as he waited for what was to come.

"Of all the lame-brained, half-assed things you've ever done, Kal-El…" Kal-El winced when he heard Mara use his full name. It made her sound _far_ too much like their mother for his comfort. "…this one might just take the prize. I thought you were going to go to Richard and have a calm and reasoned discussion of things; not go out there and verbally assault the man in his own castle."

Richard watched from the side, very amused by this turn of events, as the sweet and gentle woman he loved unleashed her staggering strength. He couldn't imagine being able to so casually handle a man the size of the prince, and he admired the prince's restraint in not raising a hand to his sister, even in his own defense.

"Some guest _you_ are," Mara continued. "I _know_ our parents taught you better than to act like you own the place when you visit someone else…" Mara went on for a few minutes more, continuing to verbally tear into her brother, but she couldn't find it in herself to strike him again since he kept so still and passive. When her anger finally petered out, Richard walked up behind her and wrapped her in an encompassing hug and risked a kiss on her neck, which made Kal's eyebrows rise and caused Mara to collapse back against him in tears.

As Kal-El climbed to his feet, he kept his eyes on his sister and the king. He watched as she cried and he offered comfort, watched as she turned within the compass of his arms to nuzzle her tear-streaked face against his chest, and felt shame that he had been the cause of her pain. Even a blind man could see how truly in love they were; only a man who was blind to the young woman Mara had grown into would have assumed that she needed his help with her love life.

Kal-El waited for Mara to cry herself out. Once she turned back to him, carefully staying within the circle of Richard's arms, Kal-El began his apology. Mara listened, sniffling all the while as the king leaned his head forward to see her face so he could rub the tears from her cheeks with the calloused pad of his thumb

"Mara?" Kal-El asked with a broken voice. "I know it doesn't mean much right now, not coming from me anyway, but I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry for having interfered in your love life that way. I guess I still saw you as the wide-eyed girl who always wondered why the boys paid such particular attention to you. That's over, however, I see you now for the woman you've become. To his credit, Richard discovered that long before I did…" He looked up briefly at Richard, and their eyes met, one pair silently apologizing and the other knowingly accepting the apology, before he turned his attention back to Mara. "…and no one could blame him for falling in love with you, except for our parents."

"Apology accepted, Kal. You can be so sweet sometimes," Mara said. "I hope this Lady Lana of yours gets to see this side of you more often than I do."

Kal-El's reply was simple. "I worship the ground she walks on."

"Oh? I can't _wait_ to meet this woman," Mara said with a giggle. "Any one who can bring _you_ to your knees must be worth the trip."

Kal-El paused, and then said softly, "She brings me to my knees every day, Mara. I kneel by my bed first thing every morning and pray that she might be safe and healthy for one more day…and at night, I hit my knees to thank God that Lana lives and that I am the one she has chosen to love."

"You're not _quite _the same Kal who left the summer palace all those months ago, are you?"

"You noticed, huh?" Kal-El said with a sheepish grin. "I try hard to be a man Lana can be proud of." He looked at the stone floor in embarrassment. "Last night I failed…miserably so. I'm sure Lana would have been just as mad at me as you were."

"Maybe so," Mara said, "but today, you admitted what you did and took the results of your actions without flinching or fleeing. You acted like a self-centered boy last night, but you were a man today. I think your Lady Lana would be proud."

Once the drama was over, the three royals sat down and tried to come up with the best strategy for improving Mara's chances of marrying Richard. Several approaches were considered and quickly discarded as being unworkable, and in so doing, they were able to identify their biggest problems, which were Mara's ladies-in-waiting. Any attempt to hide the connection between Richard and Mara had to deal with the fact that Mara's ladies all knew the truth and that some of them were likely to talk to someone once they got home.

"If it weren't for your ladies, Mara," Kal-El said, in frustration, "then this would be quite simple."

"I know." She sighed, and Richard, who was sitting next to his lady love, slid his hand over the table to cover hers and give it a gentle squeeze. "They are dears, but they _do_ like to talk, and they all have chambermaids who are eager to hear the least little tidbit of gossip and spread it throughout the servants' quarters, and from there…throughout the palace."

"If your servants are anything like mine," Richard said, "any rumors worth hearing will be all over your father's palace within a day of your arrival home."

All three romantic conspirators were quiet for a time as they tried to think their way out of the corner in which they found themselves.

"If we had a war looming," Kal-El said, "father might be thrilled to find he had a ready-made son-in-law with his own fleet and army. But I don't think we can count on any of our neighbors to pick a convenient fight, and in any case, I think I speak for us all when I say I'd rather not have any of our soldiers die just so you two can marry."

That statement drew immediate agreement from both Mara and Richard and then the three went quiet again.

"It seems we're either faced with telling the truth and hoping for the best…" Mara began.

"Heaven forbid we tell the truth to the monarch," Richard interjected, which got both Els to start laughing, even though they saw his point. He was a king himself, and he couldn't very well expect honesty from his subjects if he was willing to lie to another king just to get what he wanted.

Kal-El looked at Mara and then at Richard. "So…are you two comfortable with telling the truth and facing the music?" Richard and Mara squeezed hands, looked at each other and smiled nervously before saying yes, together. "Well, the one thing that might help you is my marital status. If our parents haven't decided my fate by the time you come home, Mara, they may be too focused on me to worry all that much about a daughter who has brought home a royal suitor, even if the circumstances of the romance are somewhat sketchy."

Kal-El looked squarely at Richard. "Your Majesty, my only recommendation for you is to escort Mara and her ladies personally, both to make sure they return home safely, and to minimize the amount of time the palace rumor mill has to make a mountain out of a molehill."

"Throw myself on his mercy right away then?"

"Yeah…don't let Father hear about you and Mara from anyone else." Kal thought for a second, and then added, "You know, it might actually be better for you two if Lana has won the right to marry me by the time Mara returns home next spring. She could then be a most useful ally."

"How so?"

"I've learned that when Lana wants something to get done, it _happens._ She's just that kind of woman."

Mara could hear the admiration and respect that her brother had for his lady love. That just further fueled her desire to fly home with him for a few days so she could meet this woman. Mara had high hopes they would be friends, and from what Kal-El said, this Lana was roughly her own age, so that would be a nice bonus.

Once the serious topic of royal romances had been dealt with, the rest of Kal-El's two week visit seemed to flash by in an instant. He spent a lot of time with Mara, but was careful to respect her by making sure he gave her plenty of 'alone time' with Richard. Of course, alone time for a princess still meant she was being watched by at least one of her ladies-in-waiting at all times.

The only blights on Kal-El's daily existence were the fact that Lana wasn't with him, and the seemingly never ending array of women who wanted to spend time with him, all _sure _that if he only got to know them, he'd want to take them home to meet his parents.

Soon enough, it was time for Kal-El to return home, and for Mara to accompany him so she could learn the fates of her ladies' families _and_ meet her brother's prospective bride. Kal-El was dressed somberly for the trip, wearing a plain but well-made black shirt and pants combination, while Mara had had to order something special for the trip from a local dressmaker, which turned out to be a version of divided skirts that almost fit her as closely as did Kal-El's pants. To protect her modesty, no one other than her ladies-in-waiting and her brother were allowed to attend her when they took off.

"Did you see Richard this morning?" Kal-El asked her as he lifted his traveling trunk into the air.

"Yes." It was all she needed to say, as he saw her eyes were growing misty at the thought of leaving her love behind, even if only for a few days. "Come on. Let's go home before I change my mind and stay here."

With a final wave goodbye, Mara and Kal-El launched themselves into the air and arrowed eastward.

"This is the way to travel, Kal!" Mara shouted.

Only his Kryptonian hearing allowed Kal-El to hear a word she said. "Yeah. It's gotta beat spending three weeks on a ship in the middle of the ocean."

There was a brief mid-air conference high over the Alemannian coast as the two royal children referred to their long ago geography lessons to decide which river was the one they needed to follow to get home, since neither one had any recent memory of what Köngisberg looked like from the air. Once they settled on a course of action, it was a matter of a few minutes before they came to a soft, side-by-side landing in front of the formal entrance to the palace.

Heavily armed and armored guards came running first with weapons at the ready, until someone recognized the prince and princess, and then it was servants who came running from the palace. Two men took the chest from Kal-El before he got even halfway up the marble steps, and Mara was immediately whisked away to her quarters to freshen up.

Kal-El was similarly hurried to his rooms, and he discovered the reason for the hurry when a servant told him the king and queen had pushed their travel party hard and reached the palace the day before, and had left strict orders to have their son cleaned up and brought to them whenever he reached the palace. When the princess unexpectedly showed up at the same time, the palace chamberlain had decided the order applied to her as well.

When the two were scrubbed clean and dressed in court-appropriate clothing, a white dress with thread of gold worked into the bodice for her and another white uniform jacket with heavy gold brocade and black uniform trousers for him, they met up outside the royal apartments and headed through the marble-floored halls on their way to the throne room.

Word of their arrival was all over the palace by now, and everyone who was anyone had rushed to get a place in the throne room from which to watch. Those not important enough to rate a spot in the throne room lined the halls and bowed as the prince and princess strode past. Kal-El had his sword belted at his side, but gave it up before entering since no one was allowed to have a weapon in the throne room. An antiquated tradition at best, due to the powers wielded by those of Kryptonian descent, and yet, no one had insisted on making all Kryptonians wear training amulets in the throne room.

Once the sword had been ceremonially handed over, the immense bronze doors were thrown open and the seneschal announced them. "Your Majesties, announcing the Crown Prince of Alemannia and Duke of Borussia, Kal of the House of El, and the Princess of Alemannia, Mara, also of the House of El."

The assembled nobles bowed in a wave that rippled up both sides of the center aisle as the royal children walked toward the dais and the gold leaf covered thrones that sat on it. Seeing his parents on their thrones, Kal-El had a sudden flashback to the last time he'd seen them like this, and he had a sudden urge to make sure Sir Bruce was nowhere to be found.

The humiliation of that day came rushing back in a flood, and so too did the hurt he had felt when he realized his parents hadn't trusted him and instead, had sent him away with a minder. He'd forgotten all of that the last time he'd met up with his parents, but that was because he had Lana on his mind then. Now, as he and Mara drew closer to the dais, he struggled to master his old anger.

Once they reached the appointed spot, just in front of the dais, Kal-El dropped to one knee and bowed until is chest was resting on that one knee, while Mara curtseyed so low that her inky black curls fell forward over the top of her head. Both held those positions until they heard their father tell them to rise.

Speaking to the eldest child first, King Jor-El said, "You've returned on time, just as you said you would, my son. Bringing your sister along with you was…_unexpected,_ but welcome nonetheless."

"While I admit that Mara's coming back for a brief stay was my idea, she has her own reasons for doing so."

Seeming to read her son's mind, Queen Lara said, "Yes, I suppose she does. _One_ of those reasons should be arriving from Roskilde any day now."

An excited murmur rolled through the crowd at the indirect confirmation of Lady Lana's imminent arrival. The stories _already_ being told about that young woman were difficult for anyone who hadn't been there to believe, and each new story seemed to be trying to top the one before.

Kal-El was pleased beyond words to hear that Lana was already the talk of the palace. He couldn't imagine it could do anything but help their cause. That helped take his mind off of his anger and allowed him to relax. "I can't imagine that Mara is the only one who is anxious to meet the Lady Lana."

"We most definitely want to meet your lady, Kal-El," Jor-El assured him. "She's done Us a great service and We owe her Our thanks."

"You owe her a great deal more than that, I think, your Majesty," Kal-El replied. He was taking a mild risk at this point, but it was a calculated one. "Were she a man, I daresay there would be a military parade in her honor, and maybe even a place in the Order of the Dragon, for her role in suppressing the recent rebellion."

The crowd was shocked by what they heard, but whether they were more shocked by the slight rebuke offered by the prince, or by the idea that a woman might be worthy of enrollment in the kingdom's most honored order of chivalry, was open to interpretation.

"The Order of the Dragon you say," Jor-El replied coolly. "Heady stuff for a girl who's just turned seventeen. But We seem to remember something about a maximum of ten Knights of the Dragon at any one time…and that membership is restricted to men."

"True," Kal-El said, as he slowly nodded his head. "However, I happen to know there's been a recent…_death_…amongst the Knights of the Dragon. In fact, I executed the most recent honoree. It had something to do with him leading a rebellion against his lawful king. Does that bring anyone to mind?" All Jor-El could do was grimace at the memory of the betrayal by his former friend. "So we know there's an opening, and as for the bar against female membership, that is a notion whose time has passed. Furthermore, it's a notion you can change with the stroke of a pen and the press of a seal."

Kal-El pressed his advantage.

"Lady Lana has _earned_ the honor, whatever her connection to me. Every person in this room already knows of her. Every ear has heard of the wild counterattack of ten thousand tired and bloody men who would not _allow_ themselves to be defeated because they fought for 'God, the king, and Lady Lana.'"

The king, too, had heard the stories of that one great battle. Many of the stories conflicted, but they were remarkably consistent whenever they mentioned the 'Battle Maiden,' the 'Maiden of the Pass,' or any of the other names by which she was being referred. In each story of Lady Lana, it was told how the slip of girl had marched into the teeth of battle with little more than stupid courage and a twenty-man escort, and had saved a kingdom in the process.

His kingdom.

"You are right, my son. If a woman cannot be honored for that, then a woman can never be honored for anything. Lady Lana will have her day. We regret that the parade will have to be passed over, but Lady Lana's charge destroyed the King's Legion as an effective unit," the crowd chuckled at that, "and that's the only force close enough and large enough for a suitable tribute." Jor-El wiped a hand over his face. "But she will be knighted, one way or another."

A smile swept across Kal-El's face, and the crowd looked on in stunned silence, as the king quickly turned to his daughter before his son could ask for anything else.

"Hello, Mara. Please, _please_ tell me you have nothing special to ask for, other than a warm welcome home."

She eyed Kal-El briefly, and they both smiled widely, knowing exactly what she planned on asking for in a few months. "No, Father. Nothing at all."


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

'Greetings'

After the official 'welcome home' was finished and the crowd had returned to their various pursuits, Kal-El and Mara began the long walk back to the royal apartments to change into something more suitable for regular wear before the midday meal was served.

"What in God's name brought on that little request of yours, Kal?" Mara muttered.

"I don't really know, Mara. It just sort of…happened." Kal-El thought back and tried to pinpoint the moment when he decided to push for formal recognition of Lana's efforts during the war. "I guess it was when Father started using the royal "We" and seemed to indicate that he owed nothing more to Lana than his 'thanks.' That kind of made me mad. She deserved more than a private meeting with father and a few words of thanks, and I decided to see that she received what she had earned."

"Okay. That makes sense." The two walked a little farther before Mara spoke again. "Just don't expect Father to be happy once he gets a hold of you later. You made him look bad in open court."

"Maybe it's time for him to learn I'm not a kid any more. Mother and Father sent me away before the war, instead of allowing me to help. They didn't trust me. Maybe now they'll see they were wrong."

Mara reached across and patted her brother's bicep. "Don't count on it. You've received one miracle today already. Asking for two is pushing it."

Kal smiled reluctantly. "Yeah. You're right about that…and if I only get one miracle, I'd rather that Lana benefit from it than me."

Mara looked at her brother like he'd been replaced by an identical twin. "You really _have_ changed. Being content with someone else's happiness over your own was never your strong suit."

"Her happiness is my greatest happiness, Mara," Kal-El replied. "Whatever it takes to make her happy is what I'm willing to do."

"Shut up," Mara breathed, "before you make me cry again."

After Mara dressed in a comparatively simple blue dress, a color she knew her brother always claimed suited her particularly well, as he thought it brought out her eyes, she set a couple of members of her personal staff on the task of collecting information on the families of all of her ladies-in-waiting. It was her official reason for coming home, and she wanted to do it right as her girls worried about what had happened to _their_ families just as much as she had worried about Kal-El and her parents.

Kal changed into a snowy white shirt with loose, flowing sleeves, a blue velvet waistcoat, and white knee breeches that just tucked into knee-high glossy black leather boots. On the ring finger of his left hand was the signet ring that identified him as the Duke of Borussia, but its usual partner on that finger, the royal signet ring that identified him as a prince, still resided on a golden chain that rested between Lana's breasts.

Those breasts, and the rest of Lana's magnificent self, were in the Langs' best carriage as it rolled down the impossibly wide thoroughfares of the capital city, followed closely by a large troop of Lang knights and wagon after wagon of clothing and other belongings.

All three girls were unabashedly gawking at the sights, as they had never hoped to see such a grand city in all of their lives. They saw mansions for the wealthy, most of whom were the nobility, in a number that made counting pointless, and close to the city center, they spotted the cathedral, home of the Archbishop of Königsberg, who was the highest ranking churchman in the kingdom.

Lana had a personal interest in the cathedral that went beyond its central role in the religious life of the kingdom. She knew that's where all the royal weddings took place, each one officiated by the archbishop himself. Lewis noticed Lana continuing to look at the Gothic spires of the three-hundred year old building long after her sisters' eyes had moved on to some other wonder, and he correctly guessed what she was thinking about.

"Don't worry, Lana," Lewis said, as he reached across the carriage to pat her folded hands. "If anyone can make it happen, your prince will. He is a most determined young man when it comes to you."

Lana didn't answer, didn't even turn her head, until the cathedral slipped from her view. Then she looked squarely at her father and smiled. "I know. I was just getting familiar with the place. After all, I'm getting married there someday."

Lewis found his daughter's supreme confidence to be appalling as he knew how very far from sure her marriage to Kal-El was. She knew it as well, but had chosen to believe in herself and in her man. She refused to admit the possibility of defeat.

The Langs had arrived in the capital late in the afternoon on the day before this, but instead of traveling on to the palace to claim their sumptuous rooms there, Lewis had decided on spending the night at one of the more expensive inns in the city to allow his daughters a good night's rest and the chance to clean up and put on a fresh dress so they could make the best impression possible upon arriving at the winter palace.

He knew that in Lana's case, a good first impression could be critical to her chances. If the king and queen saw her as dirty and tired, a member of the poor nobility from the hinterlands of the kingdom, then they might never be able to shake that impression and her cause could be doomed before she ever said a word. So today, Lana had on a simple but elegant forest green dress that her sisters claimed brought out the green in her hazel eyes, along with a few understated jewelry choices that served to enhance her appearance without making it look like she was showing off.

Soon after passing the cathedral, the carriage passed by the giant, open-air market where all manner of fresh foods could be purchased. Meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, herbs, and spices were all available…a veritable cornucopia of things to eat. Alongside the market was the bazaar, where vendors from all over the kingdom, and points beyond, sold their wares. Hand-woven carpets, bolts of fabric, jewels both raw and finished, intricately glazed ceramics, and too many other things to mention.

All three girls turned on their father when they saw the bazaar and made him promise they'd get a day or two of shopping while they were here. Having denied his girls the delights of the capital for so long, Lewis was only happy to agree. He knew that even as a relatively poor member of the nobility, he was rather wealthy by any other standard and could easily afford to indulge his daughters.

But all talk of shopping stopped cold when the carriage rounded a turn and the vast royal park that surrounded the palace came into view. The capital city had been a planned development dating back to the earliest days of the Kryptonian conquest. The palace had been built first, and the city was then built around it, which accounted for the wide, tree-lined boulevards, open plazas, and graceful fountains and statuary, all of which combined to make the most elegant city any of the Langs had ever seen.

The carriage rumbled along the hedge-lined, spike-topped iron fence that bordered the royal park. The ornate gate that marked the main entrance sat in the middle of one side of a square of land that was two miles by two miles. The gate was open, with a guard sufficient enough to keep out anyone who wasn't invited. Lewis presented their royal invitation through the open window. One look was all the guards needed before handing the invitation back and waving the Langs through. After that, the entire Lang procession made its way into the park and began the mile-long ride down the arrow-straight Cypress-shaded lane that led to the palace itself.

The guards at the gate did manage to hold up the Lang party long enough to send a Kryptonian messenger running to the palace at top speed with word of their arrival, as the king had ordered that word be brought to him the moment they arrived. Even before his son had impressed upon him what a debt he owed to the Langs, and to Lady Lana in particular, he had decided to come out to meet the Langs at the entrance as a special mark of his favor, instead of making them come all the way to the throne room to be introduced.

The Lang knights pulled off early to arrange for bunk space in the barracks with the Royal Household Guard, and the wagons of belongings headed for a palace service entrance, but the carriage itself continued on until it rolled through a tunnel in one wall of the palace and came to a stop at the foot of the marble stairs that led up to the formal entrance of the winter palace.

All four Lang mouths were agape at the outward splendor of the palace. It topped anything any of them had ever seen. Built of golden stone, with a red tile roof, the massive four story palace was of a hollow square design, with four wings surrounding a huge central courtyard. Whatever nerves Lana had been feeling just tripled upon seeing the grandeur of the building her Kal called home.

And waiting on the top step to greet their very important visitors, were King Jor-El, Queen Lara, a visibly excited Crown Prince Kal-El, and Princess Mara. The Els were out of sight to the Langs until they stepped out of the carriage, and at first they couldn't tell who was standing up there until Lana recognized her man. That brought an instant realization of who the other three people had to be, and Lana's case of nerves increased even more.

The Els looked down the wide steps at the disembarking Langs. Jor-El, Lara, and Mara all wondered the same thing: which one is Lady Lana? Jor-El decided she must be the tall, athletic-looking brunette, because she looked the most like someone who would charge into a battle. Lara and Mara couldn't decide, and just as they were both about to quietly ask Kal-El who was the one, he decided he'd waited as long as he could and went racing down the stairs to sweep the shortest of the three girls off of her feet and spin her around in circles as they showered each other with frantic kisses.

Mara was bouncing on her toes as she excitedly watched the way her brother showed his woman how much he missed her. Lara was surprised by the intensity of the connection between her son and this Lady Lana. Even at this distance, she could tell their love was anything but ordinary. Jor-El, however, was still stuck on the battle. He was having the hardest time imagining the tiniest Lang wearing a boy's armor and riding into the midst of a panic-stricken mob and coming out the other side with a desperately determined group of soldiers at her back.

His eyes then slipped to the side where Lord Lewis Lang stood, seemingly quite helpless to stop his daughter from kissing in public. Finally getting the Baron's attention, with a look that said 'Don't keep me waiting,' the king got some results.

Lewis took that look to mean just what the king wanted it to mean, and quickly tapped the prince on his shoulder. "Um…your Highness? Your father the king seems to be getting agitated. It might be advisable to get on with the introductions so you and Lana can go back to, ah,_ greeting_ each other."

Lois and Alicia had watched in patient silence up until now, but the special emphasis their father placed on the word 'greeting' made them both laugh out loud, a laugh they immediately fought to smother. Kal-El and Lana pulled back from each other's face and he sheepishly set her down on the ground.

"My lord and ladies," Kal-El said, as Lana tried to get one foot back into the shoe that had fallen off during Kal's wild spin, "please follow me and allow me to introduce you all to my immediate family."

The Langs followed Kal-El back up the marble steps. He stopped one step short of his family and moved to the end of the line of Langs, who had stopped two steps short of the top.

His body faced right down the step he had stopped on, and he angled his face up to his family, as he said, "Your Majesties, your Highness, may I have the pleasure of introducing you to a family that is near and dear to my heart?" He waited for a nod from his father before continuing. "It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you Lord Lewis Lang, the Baron of Roskilde, and his daughters, Lady Lois Lang, Lady Lana Lang, and Lady Alicia Lang."

Lewis bowed low when being introduced, and each lady curtseyed when her name was mentioned. All of the girls were glad for the nicely deep step treads at that point, as they gave the girls enough room to safely curtsey without risking falling over.

"You may rise," Jor-El said.

Kal-El then went on to formally introduce his family. He turned his head back to the Langs and said, "And now, it gives me just as much pleasure to introduce my family to you. Jor-El, the King of Alemannia, Lara, the Queen of Alemannia, and Mara, Princess of Alemannia."

Lana remembered what Kal-El said about his sister's opinion of her meaning more to him in many ways than that of his parents, so when she managed to tear her eyes away from Kal-El, they landed on the tall and gorgeous princess, only to find the princess staring back at her. That stare continued as Jor-El began to speak, until Mara realized what an ordeal this likely was for Lady Lana, and ventured a warm smile. Pleased to see a friendly face other than Kal's, Lana smiled back, hopeful of making a new friend. The two families broke up then and moved off, grouped together by age. Lewis walked off a step behind the king and queen, while Kal-El and Mara took charge of the three girls.

"I'm pleased to meet you all," Mara gushed. "Kal's told me so much about you."

"But I bet he's told you a _bit_ more about _one_ of us than the other two," Lois ventured boldly, as she gestured with a thumb at Lana.

"Well…" Mara said, "I guess you're right. Kal's kind of stuck on your sister."

"And she's stuck on him," Alicia volunteered.

Both Kal-El and Lana were getting more and more embarrassed with each word, and found themselves drawing closer together. Kal-El found he wanted to fight back by mentioning Mara's connection to Richard, but he knew that would be a stupid thing to do, so he gritted his teeth and kept silent. Lana, on the other hand, had no such problems with the information she knew about _her_ sisters.

"Kal," Lana asked loudly, "is Sir Bruce here? If so, I'm fairly sure Lois would _love_ to go meet with him…hopefully somewhere private."

Kal-El quickly caught on. "But it may be a little too cool today for them to go outside and kiss and cuddle on a bench by the hedge maze."

Realizing she and Bruce had been caught the night of the Harvest Ball in Varshova, Lois flushed crimson and quit teasing her sister and the prince. Lana turned her attention to her youngest sister next.

"I never did get the chance to tell you, Kal, that Alicia seems to have a man of her own now."

"Who?"

"Your old friend, Prince Harold of Krakovia."

Both Kal-El and Mara stopped dead, looked at each other, and then had completely different reactions. Kal-El was cautiously happy for Alicia, while Mara was struggling hard to keep from bursting out laughing, as she asked, "Harry? _Handsy_ Harry? Good luck with that."

"He's never been anything but a perfect gentleman around me," Alicia countered, a bit stiffly. "He even stepped in to stop a potentially nasty feud between my family and that of a prominent Krakovian duke. Your brother the prince once had to kill twenty-four of the duke's men to save my sister Lana from either death or kidnapping."

Mara was surprised, because Kal had never mentioned the roadside attack to her. She could see how uncomfortable he looked at being reminded of what had to have been a slaughter. Her eyes quickly flitted from Kal to Lana, and she saw the way Lana recognized his distress and immediately moved to soothe his feelings. Mara quickly drew the other two Lang sisters away from the quiet couple so they could spend some time alone.

When Mara, Lois, and Alicia disappeared into the first cross hallway they could find, Kal immediately brightened up and hugged Lana close. "I was beginning to think they'd _never_ leave us alone."

"You were _faking?" _Lana swatted Kal-El lightly on the bicep. "I can't believe you made me think you were upset."

"The point is, I made _them_ think I was upset, and they left us alone." Kal-El's hands settled behind Lana's back, and her hands found their way up his arms before coming to rest on his bulging biceps. Their eyes met, and their speech softened. "Now, I seem to remember your lord father saying that if I introduced your family to mine, then I could go back to 'greeting' you."

"No," Lana replied, "he said we could go back to 'greeting' _each other_…and Kal?"

"Hmm?"

"We haven't greeted each other nearly enough yet."

"I like the way you think." He looked at the occasional servant rushing by every few seconds and added, "Right here will do. There are enough outsiders present to protect your honor."

"Then what are you wait…?" Lana began, only to be cut off in mid-word by a potent kiss from her one-man welcoming committee.


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Gossip Girls

As much as they enjoyed the kissing, the young couple finally forced themselves to disengage their lips, more because Lana needed to breathe than anything else. She pressed lightly against him, placing the side of her face against his upper chest, as his arms enfolded her into a warm cocoon that was equal parts muscle and the pure, manly scent she had come to identify simply as 'Kal.'

"Please don't go away, Kal," Lana whispered. "Promise me we'll have the entire winter together."

"Barring a command from the king, I promise," Kal-El replied, "that no one else in this kingdom, or any other, will send me away this winter."

"Where do you think our sisters have gone?" Lana asked. Her voice was above a whisper now, but still quiet enough that only a Kryptonian could overhear her.

"Are you asking for an opinion, or asking me to find out?"

"Mmm…whichever you want. I'm not particular." Lana raised her head from its perch on Kal-El's chest, and moved back just enough to be able to look up at him and see his sea green eyes. She wasn't _about _to move away from his touch though; she thought _that_ might require a direct order from either her father or the king.

Kal-El used his super hearing to roughly locate the missing girls, as using his x-ray vision ran the risk of seeing things that a gentleman wasn't supposed to see. "It sounds like they are in the east wing. That means Mara likely has taken it upon herself to show your sisters to their suites. Want to go see?"

"Sure."

"I can only go so far," Kal-El warned. "The east wing is off limits to men, except for male servants who are required to bring coal, at specific times of the day, to the various rooms for heat. Even the king himself can't go in there."

"Where do the men stay?" Lana asked, as she and Kal-El went from a warm embrace to holding hands as he guided her to the east wing and the sumptuous rooms that awaited her.

"The men stay in the west wing, and the north wing has the royal apartments on the top two floors and important government rooms like the throne room and the cabinet room on the first floor. In between is the royal library, which takes up the entire second floor of the north wing.

"The south wing, where we are now standing, is the most public of the four wings. It has the banquet hall, the ballroom, and a lot of other rooms where the men and women can mix together during the day.

"As for you, I happen to know you've been assigned a suite on the fourth floor."

"Is that good?" Lana asked apprehensively. She knew status would matter in the days ahead.

"That's the _best,"_ Kal-El said. "Those suites are the largest, most luxurious, and most prestigious ones in the entire wing."

Kal-El then took Lana to the double helix staircase in the center of the wing and took her on a long climb from the first floor to the fourth. Once there, they headed toward the east end of the floor, to a heavy, iron-banded oak door which was closed and guarded by two serious looking men in the gold and white livery of the Royal Household Guards.

"This is as far as I go, Lana," Kal-El said sadly. "Just step inside and ask for Princess Mara and someone will take you to her. She'll know what suite is yours."

"Will you wait here for me?" Lana asked. "I won't be long." She _did_ want to see where her rooms were, but she wanted to spend some more time with him, before she got sucked into whatever competition there would be to win his hand. _This is all backwards, _Lana thought humorously. _All the fairy tales have men fighting for the chance to marry a princess, not the other way around._

"Go on, spend some time with Mara. I know she's dying to meet you, and you can see me again at dinner."

The two enjoyed one last, quick kiss before Lana regretfully released her man and disappeared through the doorway. For the first time in his life, Kal-El was happy that the men guarding the entrances to the women's quarters all wore Kryptonian training medallions. In their case, those medallions were to stop any Kryptonian from using his abilities to sneak into the women's wing. _In fact, _Kal-El mused, after Lana had disappeared from his view, _I need to get her a training medallion of her own to wear, to give her some protection from an attack by someone who doesn't want her to marry me._

When the door to the women's wing closed behind her, Lana walked down the hallway, looking for anyone who could tell her where Princess Mara was. Up ahead were two older ladies, but they were headed away from her toward the double helix staircase that was in the middle of that wing. Just as Lana was beginning to wonder if she was going to have to start knocking on random doors, she heard a pair of voices that could only be her sisters coming from farther down the hall.

Lana picked up her pace and reached the open door the sounds were coming from. A quick knock on the door brought prompt permission to enter, from a melodic voice she did _not_ know. _That must be Kal's sister. Even her voice is beautiful. _Lana edged her way into the room and found her sisters sitting with the princess in what appeared to be a very elegant and very expensively decorated sitting room. On a low table in front of the women was a silver tray laden with finger foods and a pitcher of something to drink. Mara saw her new guest and stood to welcome her. As she did, a servant moved forward to place a fourth chair next to the others around the refreshments.

"Lady Lana! Please, be welcome and join us."

"You are too kind, your Highness," Lana replied, "but I gladly accept."

Both women wanted this meeting to go well, as each knew Kal-El spoke highly of the other. Lana was nervous, but not too much, as it was plain from her sisters' expressions that they were both enjoying themselves. Mara simply looked back at Lois and Alicia and asked, "Ladies?"

Lana figured it was a pre-arranged signal, as her sisters stood immediately and thanked her for her kind attention before heading for the door. When they left, a servant moved quickly to close the door behind them.

"Now we'll have some privacy," Mara said, as she eyed the woman with whom her brother was so obviously besotted. His break from the dictates of decorum on the front steps made that perfectly clear. She gestured to the snacks. "Please, help yourself. Though your sisters said you had a light lunch before making the trip across the city, it's going to be hours yet before the evening meal."

Lana placed a few of the delicacies on a small plate and began to nibble on one. She had planned on pouring herself a drink, until she realized it was some sort of mulled wine designed to help warm her, and her sisters, after the cold ride. Needing her wits around her, Lana took a pass on the wine. When Mara noticed Lana's hesitancy to drink the wine, she asked if there was anything she might prefer instead.

"Fresh water would be very welcome, your Highness," Lana said. She was polite, but not meek, and all it took was a slight nod of Mara's head for one of her servants to leave the room to fulfill the request.

"Please, Lana, I would be honored if you would call me Mara," Mara smiled warmly, "because as much as Kal has told me about you, and with the way he feels about you being as obvious as the nose on my face, I really hope you and I can become friends."

"I would like that very much…Mara. Kal has made it quite clear how much he loves you and how important your good opinion is to him."

"Really? Kal said all that?"

"Oh yes."

While they waited for Lana's water, Mara asked her about the long trip from Roskilde, which Lana allowed had been mostly boring, with moments of excitement in each town in which they stopped for the evening. When questioned about that, Lana said, "Well…my father sent outriders ahead of our party every day, very early in the morning, to get to the next town we intended to stop in for the evening so they could secure lodging for us well in advance of our arrival.

"The thing was, those men always told the innkeeper with whom they were negotiating just exactly who the rooms were being rented for." Lana flushed slightly. "It quickly became apparent that the wild stories people have been telling about me since the war ended spread much faster than we advanced every day…and when the townspeople learned from the innkeepers that my family was coming to town that evening to spend the night, we would invariably be met by a large, enthusiastic crowd in every town in which we stopped."

Still amazed by what had happened, Lana leaned in like she was imparting an embarrassing secret. "Those people wanted to see _me,_ like I was royalty or something." Realizing suddenly she _was_ talking to a royal princess, Lana got flustered and said, "Umm…not that I think I _am_ royalty or anything. Anyway, night after night, our carriage stopped right in front of whichever inn we were staying in, and the crowd would press in tight around it to fight for the best view, even as they'd scream out my name and try to touch me."

"That sounds frightening," Mara said.

"It _was," _Lana admitted, "during the first stop on our trip anyway. After that, Father ordered our guards to make a tight ring around the carriage as we neared any town, and once we reached our accommodations, they cleared a path to the inn's front door.

"Father didn't seem to mind it very much, not after that first night anyway, as the innkeepers always cut him a good deal on the rooms and meals for our entire traveling party, just so they'd be able to say that _I _had stayed there." Lana shook her head in amazement. "As if anyone would spend an extra schilling just to sleep in a bedroom I spent one night in. That was just crazy."

"Maybe."

"Father _did_ order the outriders to keep our name a secret before coming to the capital last night," Lana said. "He was afraid of the kind of mob scene that might develop if the people of the capital learned who we were."

Mara was still thinking about Lana's previous statement, and wondered if Lana was completely cognizant of where her love for Kal-El might take her. "You _do_ know that if you and Kal succeed in marrying, you _will _be royalty, don't you?"

"If we succeed," Lana paused, then hastily corrected herself, "_when_ we succeed, I'll be Kal's wife and he'll be my husband. The titles and anything else that comes with the marriage _are_ very important, but still just a happy byproduct of being married to the man I love."

Even though Mara knew Lana had more in store for herself than just being a wife if she married Kal-El, she appreciated the way Lana was focused on the man, not the lord or crown prince like so many of the young women she'd known over the years.

"Kal's told me a lot about you, Lana," Mara said, "but one thing he _didn't _tell me was the story of how you two met."

"That's actually a good story." Lana's instant smile was as wide as it was involuntary. "our family was moving to Krakovia, to a manor house Father had rented just outside of Varshova. I had been sent ahead to make sure the manor house was ready for occupation once he arrived with the guards and servants. The head housekeeper and I had hired a bunch of locals to help with cleaning and such, but I put on a plain dress so I could help supervise the cleaning of a few remaining chimneys.

"When word came that Father had arrived, I didn't have time to clean up, so I hurried out to the entrance to greet him. My dress was plain and gray, and I was covered from head to toe with a fine layer of soot."

"Oh no," Mara said. She couldn't imagine having to meet so many people looking like that.

"'Oh no' is right. If I had known a prince was arriving, I would have stopped working hours before they had arrived so I could clean up, and I would have been wearing the best dress I'd brought with me."

"Didn't anyone tell you?"

"No. Even Father didn't know at the time. Once he came back from Krakovia, after the battle was over, he sat me down and told me everything he knew. And one thing that stuck out was that he'd only been told to expect Sir Bruce Wayne to join up with him and become our new arms master."

"The Dark Knight?"

"Yeah. I can see his reputation has reached the capital," Lana said, "but to be honest, I never saw anything from him that might indicate a brutal man, and Kal thinks highly of him, so he can't be that bad." Lana got the conversation back on track. "Anyway, I stood next to father as the wagon train rolled onto our land, but when the guard captain rode in, Father handed me the reins to his own horse and asked me to make sure it was taken care of properly.

"So there I was, looking as grubby as can be, and leading a horse toward the stables, when up walked this huge guy that I thought was Sir Bruce's squire. He was covered in dirt from weeks on the road, but the closer he got, the more handsome he became. Suddenly, I wasn't quite so happy to be in a plain dress and covered with soot. I wanted to look nice for him, or else crawl into a hole and die."

"That sounds awful!"

"Wait, it gets _worse._ Kal walked up to me, asked me to see that his horses got taken care of, and handed me two sets of reins before just walking off." Mara was mortified for her brother's sake, while Lana smiled ruefully. "At that moment, I didn't know whether I wanted cry for looking so horribly bad in front of him, or if I wanted to hand him all three sets of reins, and drag him to the stables by his ear.

"That was the worst part of meeting him."

"What was the _best_ part?"

"I don't normally like this much finery," Lana said, as she gestured at her clothing, "but that day I was bound and determined to make that young squire aware of just who I was and how beautiful I could be. I spent hours getting ready, so that when our family walked into dinner, I looked _good._

"As soon as I sat down, I started searching the room for this squire, and when our eyes fell on one another, I could just _see_ him deflate as he realized who I was. I was definitely enjoying the moment, and planned to torture him all dinner long, but he then he did the darnedest thing."

"Which was…?"

"He got up, approached my father, and after gaining permission, made the most heartfelt apology to me in front of more than one-hundred people. He was so sweet and so earnest …and handsome…that I just wanted to kiss him." Lana could feel the emotions of that long-ago night come rushing back as she told the story. "I haven't even _looked_ at another man since that moment."

"That story is both sweet and funny," Mara said. "Both parts of it sound just like him. Making a quick mistake and then being so sweet in making up for it."

The two women kept on talking the rest of the afternoon, exchanging stories about Kal-El, until a maid came in and informed the princess that it was time for her to prepare for dinner.

"Something formal in the State Dining Room then?" Mara asked. She really wanted just a private dinner in the family quarters, but then realized that a big dinner would be just fine, as it would give her another chance to see Kal and Lana together.

"Yes, your Highness."

Mara stood then, and so did Lana. "I feel I've learned so much about you just listening to the way you talk about my brother. The way you love him is obvious, and only the hardest-hearted observer could wish anything but the best for you both…and that's not me, so count me in as one of your supporters." Mara sadly eyed the door that the maid had closed behind her as she left. "I wish we could stay here all night and talk, but…"

"Yeah, I understand. Formal dinners are just one of the many obligations I'll have as Kal's wife."

"You'd better get used to them then, and to that 'finery,'" Mara said, as she grinned widely, "because I plan on having a front row seat at your wedding."

"Yes, your Highness," Lana said, as she mockingly curtseyed low and then stood. "I hear and obey."

Both girls laughed at that, and then Mara recalled one last thing before she left. "Oh! I was supposed to give you a tour of these rooms, so come on and we'll do it quickly." she gestured around the room they had spent the afternoon in. "This, as you can tell, is your sitting room."

"It's larger than all of my personal space combined back home," Lana said, as she eyed the room with a renewed sense of wonder.

Mara then gestured to two small doors in one wall of the sitting room. "Those two doors lead to small sleeping rooms for a pair of personal maids. The rest of your servants will either live in the attics or in the basements, but two will be able to stay here during the night to see to your needs." Mara pointed to a door opposite to the two servants' doors. "That door leads to your dressing room and its capacious closets." Mara then threw open the wide double door in the center of the sitting room's back wall. "And this, quite obviously, is your bedroom."

Lana peered into the room and gasped at the size of the four-poster canopied bed. The thing was _enormous_ and it dominated the room much the way a dinner table dominated a dining room.

"I can hardly believe all of this is for me." Lana had a thought then that made her uncomfortable. "Please tell me my sisters have rooms like these. Please tell me these aren't some special favor due to me because of my relationship with Kal." _My sisters will kill me otherwise. _

"Oh yes, they are on this floor also. They are on either side of you. As for your second worry, these rooms were given to you as a mark of the favor your family has found with my father due to your actions in the war." Mara paused for just a moment before deciding to make sure Lana knew she faced some opposition. "If anything, the fact that you and my brother are in love would have gotten you all moved down to the smaller and less comfortable rooms on lower floors. My parents don't look on your match with a favorable eye."

As the princess left, and Lana's servants rushed in, carrying chest upon chest of her belongings, she pondered Mara's last statement as she retired to her dressing room.

"Come on girls," Lana said, "the rest of my things can wait, let's get me dressed for dinner…I have a husband to win."


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Dinnertime

Lana's chambermaids had her ready in plenty of time for dinner, and she checked the final result in the full-length stand mirror in her dressing room. Never in her life had she seen such a large and perfect mirror, and the intricately carved and gilded frame that was holding the glass qualified as a minor work of art as far as she was concerned.

The dress Lana wore was darkly purple with light touches of gold trim here and there. It was the most 'Lang' dress she owned, as it was comprised entirely of her family's colors, and her hair was pulled to the top of the back of her head in a pommel, before falling down the back of her head in a cascade of glossy ringlets. As opposed to the dress Kal-El bought her for the Harvest Ball back in Krakovia, which had been well-covered in diamond chips, this dress had just a few, which were sprinkled here and there to catch the eye as she walked past. Before the war, this had been Lana's best dress, and it was still one she cherished.

Heading out the door, she checked the rooms on either side of her own and found her sisters waiting for her so they could go down together and make their entrance as a family. Lois had chosen a muted yellow dress, as she knew with her height, she really didn't need a brightly colored dress to create interest in herself, and in any case, there was only one man whose interest she wanted to attract. Alicia's dress was sky blue, a color which always seemed to go well with her honey blond hair. All three dresses had the deep, square necklines that were still the fashion, which was a good thing, as they hadn't had the time to have anything else made.

As the Lang sisters made their way down the double helix staircase, they joined an ever-increasing tide of women of all ages who were heading for the formal dinner. Once on the first floor, the women headed down the wide main corridor toward the south wing and the State Dining Room. A senior steward in the white and gold tabard of the royal service was waiting for Lana when she and her sisters left the east wing and entered the south wing. The man had a full description of Lana from Prince Kal-El himself, and called out to her before she could move past him.

"Lady Lana Lang?" the man asked.

Lois and Alicia dropped back, while Lana turned to face the man, and asked, "Yes?"

The steward bowed low and stayed there while holding a jeweled white enamel box in front of his head with both hands. "Milady, this is from his Highness, the prince."

Lana peered at the box and marveled at the exquisite craftsmanship, but she didn't think she had time to look at it now. "Could you arrange to have it taken to my rooms, please?"

Upon hearing the word 'please,' the steward stumbled, and would have fallen, if Lana hadn't lurched forward to brace him. When the man apologized profusely for his clumsiness, and when he regained his footing, he thanked Lana for her kindness and then said, "No, Milady, I cannot. The prince was very specific. He said you needed to open the box and read the note before entering the dining room."

More curious than ever, Lana gingerly lifted the delicately hinged lid of the ornate box. Inside was a thick sheet of creamy, high-quality paper that had been folded to fit in the box. As Lana took the paper from the box, the steward finally stood back up, and she saw a green and silver amulet. She remembered having seen one before that was just like it. Lana then unfolded the note and immediately recognized the handwriting as being Kal's. _Lord knows I've read and reread his love letters often enough to be an expert on what his handwriting looks like. _She was eager to see what he wanted to say now.

Dearest Lana,

Before you do anything else, please put the amulet around your neck. It could conceivably help save your life, and will definitely help protect you in case your rivals choose to use their Kryptonian abilities to humiliate or discredit you.

Lana pulled the amulet out of the velvet-lined box and noticed it was dangling from a wide white ribbon with miniature golden dragons appliquéd onto the white ribbon. _Golden dragons on a white field, _Lana thought. _That's a not-too-subtle hint for anyone who gets close enough to me to see the ribbon_. _Kal wants there to be no doubt in anyone's mind that I'm under royal protection_._ This is getting serious. _

Lana quickly lifted the ribbon over the top of her piled up hairstyle and settled it around her neck on top of the gold chain that supported the golden signet ring that rested out of sight between her breasts. She had a feeling that Kal was going to need his ring back fairly soon since he was back in the palace, but having this amulet from him and knowing it's purpose was to protect her, made it rather special to her in its own right. Going back to the note, Lana read on.

I wanted to give this to you myself, but I have obligations that will keep me from seeing you up close until after dinner, and it would be irresponsible of me to wait until then to see that you have the protection you need.

After the meal, I hope to sneak away from the crush of well-wishers and sycophants long enough to hear how your meeting with Mara went. I was told you two were together for hours, so I can only hope that my two favorite women in the world have gotten off to a good start.

Forever yours,

Kal

Lana folded the letter, planning to keep it, even though she had no place to store anything on her dress. When she told the steward that he could take the box back, she could see the man bothered and trying to hide it from her.

"What is the matter?" Lana asked.

"Are you so eager to reject the prince's gift?"

"I've got the amulet around my neck alrea…wait, you mean the box, too?" Lana was fairly sure that single, jewel-encrusted white enamel box was worth more than all of her possessions put together. "I couldn't…"

The steward said nothing, but lifted the box higher and Lana finally accepted it. She placed the letter back in the box and asked him to have one of the maids take it up to her rooms. "You need not pass any message to the prince. I'll see him soon and thank him for the box personally."

"As you say, Milady."

Lana then gave her sisters a quick explanation of why she had the training amulet, and hoped they wouldn't figure out the box was now hers, too. They then resumed their walk down the hallway toward the State Dining Room, and marveled at the wide, marble-floored hallway that was lined with white Corinthian columns topped with gold leaf capitals. As the dinner guests gathered, the sumptuously decorated hallway served as an anteroom where the male and female guests could meet and have a drink before the meal was served.

The Lang sisters quickly found their father, who promptly led them around the room to introduce them to the few members of the capital's high society of whom he knew and approved. After that, he was pleased to hear how his girls had spent the afternoon, mostly because he still couldn't _quite_ wrap his head around the news the king had given him. Lana looked and sounded happy as she told her story about the special attention paid to her by Princess Mara, so he chose to withhold the information about her upcoming knighthood, as it might ruin her chance to enjoy the dinner and the fine company.

Lewis had to admit he was pleased to finally be able to expose his girls to a bit of the capital's social swirl. He'd already received a dozen invitations for himself, and his daughters, to attend parties at various local mansions of the more wealthy and powerful noble families over the next two weeks. _Social swirl indeed! They will all run out of suitable gowns to wear before the second week is over. If the prince hadn't offered the services of his sister's own dressmakers…this could have become a problem._

Lois and Alicia told of making a number of potentially useful contacts after leaving the princess' presence. They were under no illusions, however, about why they were so popular. Being housed on the fourth floor meant their family was well-regarded by the king. That in itself was enough to draw the interest of the other nobles, but knowing they were the sisters of the famous Lady Lana increased the nobles' level of interest another notch.

Dinner was called not too long later, and as each family entered, a servant with the master seating list directed other servants on where to lead each family to sit. Lana and her sisters were surprised to find they were to be seated on the dais at the long, gently curving head table with the royal family and other notables. The Langs were spread out, with each woman at the head table being placed between two men.

Four seats in the middle of the table were empty, and while Lana assumed correctly those were for the royal family, her eyes were focused on the blond beauty who took a seat immediately next to the four center seats. She instantly recognized her main rival for Kal's hand, and couldn't help but notice that Ingrid was seated closer to the royal family than she herself was…in fact, Lana was sure that Ingrid's seat would just happen to put her next to Kal for the rest of the evening. A quick, smug look from Ingrid was all it took for Lana's guess to be confirmed. She quickly looked away from Ingrid and instead took in the white marble columns along the walls, the golden silk fabric running from column to column, and the white marble mantels in front of the half-dozen huge fireplaces that lined the long walls of the rectangular room.

Alicia was seated two spots on the other side of Ingrid, and the two women struck up a conversation which lasted until they were separated by the arrival of the Duke of Salzerei, Lord Mar-Ken. Mar-Ken greeted Ingrid, thankful that Kal-El had been able to secure him this position. The two men had met while Lana was chatting with Mara, and had agreed to work together to position Mar-Ken as the most agreeable suitor for Ingrid's hand. Implicit in this arrangement was Mar-Ken's agreement to help Kal-El win the right to marry Lana, if the chance arose.

Ingrid politely introduced Mar-Ken to Alicia. He knew Alicia was Lana's younger sister, mostly due to Kal-El's rather thorough briefing on the Lang family. Mar-Ken was in a most unusual position: he was highly interested in Ingrid, but needed her to lose to Lana so that he could then have a shot at winning her hand for himself…but he knew he dared not mention Lana in Ingrid's presence, not even to her own sister, not if he wanted to gain Ingrid's favor.

The royal family didn't come in until everyone else had found their seats. That caused everyone to rise once more and stay standing until the king sat. Jor-El wasted no time in signaling for the first course to be served. The meal went smoothly, until after the second course, when the king pounded an empty goblet on the table to draw everyone's attention.

A twitch of his finger brought a servant scurrying over to refill the goblet, and then Jor-El said, "We are here tonight, having this unscheduled banquet, to celebrate the end of the war and to honor a family that did so much to bring about Our victory. Rise and be recognized, Lord Lewis Lang, Baron of Roskilde."

Lewis who was seated just three chairs down from Lana, had known this was coming. The king had told him that his family would be honored during the banquet. So, Lewis pushed back his chair and rose.

"The good baron first left his rather secure home at Our behest, traveled to Krakovia, and took up residence there to help hide the crown prince from Dru-Zod. When the crown prince earned his knighthood and decided to return to Alemannia to help lead the war effort, he placed the baron in charge of building a supply line from Krakovia to Roskilde, and building a large supply base there. And then, his army led the column of reinforcements that marched over the mountain pass and allowed the royal army to win the Battle of Maiden's Pass.

"Mentioning that battle brings to mind the maiden for which the battle, and the pass she led her army through, are now named. Lady Lana Lang, rise and be recognized."

Lana had no idea this was coming. She had been content to see her father recognized for his efforts in front of the most powerful people in the kingdom. Having the king himself direct his attention toward _her_ made her nervous, but when a servant stepped forward to help her with her chair, she rose, thanked the young man, and faced the dinner guests like this was something to which she was accustomed.

"Lady Lana," Jor-El said, which got Lana to look the king straight in the eye, "you have a most ardent supporter in the person of the crown prince. In open court he enumerated the many things you did to defend the crown." Jor-El went on to re-list Lana's efforts, mostly for the benefit of those who hadn't been present in court on that day, but also to make sure Lana knew that the king knew and was grateful to her.

When his recitation was at an end, Jor-El said, "We are of a mind to reward Our many supporters in the coming days. The nobles who actively supported Dru-Zod will be shortly losing their titles and lands, thus opening up new positions for those who supported Us. While those who are moving up haven't all been decided on yet, We are hereby promising Baron Lang his choice of the Countships that become available."

A low murmur of approval rolled through the guests, causing the king to signal for silence. "Furthermore, due in small part to the skillful arguments of her own royal supporter, Lady Lana Lang will be honored with her installation as a _full_ member of the Order of the Dragon." That emphasis was for the people who had suggested that she be made an honorary member since she wasn't either a man or a knight.

Lana was surprised, but didn't know how big that honor truly was. Lois, on the other hand, did know, and fainted when she heard that her little sister was going to gain an honor that she herself had dreamed about since she'd first decided to try to be the son her father never had. When she slumped in her chair, the men next to her signaled for a servant, who talked to his superior, who sent someone else to fetch a vial of smelling salts to awaken the lady.

While the servants and the two gentlemen were taking care of Lois down on one end of the head table, the king stood, which made everyone else stand, and said, "We propose a toast. To our most loyal defenders, the Langs of Roskilde." Jor-El, who already had his goblet in hand, raised it and drank deeply.

The diners responded to the king's toast by raising their own goblets and saying, "The Langs of Roskilde," before draining their own drinks.

Just as the king and his dinner guests resumed sitting, Dax-Ur and his daughter Ingrid exchanged worried glances. An increase in rank for Lord Lang from Baron to Count was a serious blow to Ingrid's chances of marrying the prince, and they both knew it.

Lana had trouble eating after that, as a suddenly nervous stomach made her appetite disappear. Lois came to just as the next course was served, and was so embarrassed that she forgot to be jealous of Lana, at least for the rest of the meal. Alicia was in fine fettle, as occasions like this were what _she_ had dreamed about since she was little, and for her, the truth was better than the dream ever had been.

Kal-El found the dinner much more enjoyable after his father's announcement regarding the Langs. Ingrid was uncommonly quiet after that, leaving him free to eat and chat with his mother. By unspoken agreement, they talked about anything other than his marriage prospects, leaving them plenty of time to catch up on the little things they'd done since Kal-El had left the summer palace last spring.

When the seven course meal was over two and a half hours later, everyone was full and most felt like seeking their beds, especially those who were staying in the city and had a bit of a carriage ride ahead of them. Lana wasn't one of them, however, as she was expecting to meet up with Kal now that the dinner was over.


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Poison Ivy

Lana was among those who planned on sleeping soon, but a note passed to her by a servant as she left the State Dining Room altered that. It was written in Kal's own hand, and it asked her to follow the servant who gave it to her.

Upon hearing her agreement, the servant waited for the crowd to leave before guiding Lana down the wide, marble-floored hallway to the only other room on that floor of the south wing. The servant opened the massive double doors for Lana, and closed them behind her once she entered.

Lana saw the room was easily as large as the dining room, had three massive crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and an intricate parquet floor that ran from wall to wall. In the middle of the room, standing under the only chandelier that was lit, were Kal-El and Mara. As Lana approached the royal siblings, Mara walked forward and hugged Lana lightly, before moving off to stand by a distant wall, as her primary reason for being here was to act as Lana's chaperone, since Kal-El wasn't about to risk her reputation now.

That concern for Lana's honor, however, didn't prevent Kal-El from sweeping her into a heated kiss that had an interested Mara wondering if that was what she and Richard looked like from a distance. When the prince's lips finally relinquished their hold on those of his lady, the side of her face came to rest on his chest, as she said, "I swear our kisses get better and better. I guess practice makes perfect."

"Not according to Sir Emmerich," Kal-El replied. "He always insisted that only _perfect_ practice makes perfect. But for me, kissing you is never practice, no matter how perfect it may be."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Kissing you is always the real thing."

"Mmm…I like the sound of that," Lana said. Not wanting Mara to think she did nothing but fall into her brother's arms at first sight and then stay there, Lana finally levered her herself away from Kal's chest and looked up at his handsome face.

"I hear I have 'skillful arrangements' of a most 'ardent supporter' to thank for the honor the king wishes to bestow upon me," Lana said with a smile. "You wouldn't happen to know who this person is, would you?"

"If it earns a smile from you, then I'm more than happy to take the credit." Kal-El took Lana's hands in his and pulled her close for a kiss. "Other than father's surprise announcement, how was your first day here, Lana?"

"Pretty good, Kal. I spent hours with your sister," she tilted her head toward the wall where Mara was waiting. "I really like her."

Kal-El's smile was already in evidence, but hearing that Lana really liked Mara made his smile grow even wider. "The feeling is mutual. Mara told me before dinner that she couldn't be happier for me in my choice of prospective bride."

"If only _she_ was the only one I had to impress," Lana sighed.

"Don't worry, Lana, you'll get your shot at one or both of my parents soon."

"You think so?"

"Count on it. Mother will want to see you soon, but I'm not quite as sure about Father. He may content himself with some close questioning of your father." Kal-El bit his lower lip and eyed Lana speculatively. "But bigger news than the honor my father intends to give to you was the countship he's already promised to your father."

"I know. That's so well deserved…and it helps us, too, doesn't it?"

"Most definitely. It cuts the legs out from under one of the strongest arguments anyone could use against you." Expanding his thought horizon to include the rest of the Lang family, Kal-El added, "It should also help make Alicia more attractive to any potential suitor, should her close connection with Harry not end with a wedding."

"True…but it may make it _harder_ for father to accept Sir Bruce as a suitor for Lois."

That idea completely changed the direction of Kal-El's thoughts. _Bruce would be crushed. At least he can't blame me for the creation of Lord Lang as a count; that was strictly father's idea. But maybe…just maybe…I can push for a barony for Bruce…maybe even the one Lord Lang will have to vacate to accept his countship. The Baron of Roskilde does report to me, through the Count of Albemarle, so my preference in that particular case should carry some weight. I just hope it's enough._

Lana stood there quietly and watched. She could see how distant Kal looked, and wondered where his mind was at that moment. The one thing she did know was that it had to do with her older sister, and his former bodyguard and friend, so she was content to wait until he was ready to tell her about what he was thinking.

"Maybe I can do something about that," Kal-El said quietly.

"Care to share?" Lana asked.

When she spoke, Kal looked startled to her, almost as if he'd forgotten her presence. "Oh, sure."

Kal went on to explain his idea, which Lana declined to judge, mostly because she didn't know the king, much less know him well enough to decide how he might react to his son's request. When Lana asked where Sir Bruce was, Kal-El told her he had yet to arrive, and that his non-appearance was beginning to worry him.

After that, Lana took a longer, more curious look around the ballroom. She could just imagine the dancers arrayed across the floor, with the musicians at one end, and a crowd of onlookers around the periphery of the room. She imagined herself out there, with her hands resting on Kal's arms as they waited for the music to begin, and she felt how happy she would be.

"When's the first royal ball?" Lana asked suddenly.

"I don't know yet," Kal-El admitted. "With the social calendar having been thrown off a bit due to the rebellion, things are going to be different this year. But if my lady is eager for a dance…" Kal-El took her hands in his and swept her into an impromptu dance that carried them halfway down the length of the ballroom. Lana quickly recognized the steps and her feet did the rest, "…then I will see that she gets one."

Lana was smiling widely by the time the dance stopped, and as they walked back hand-in-hand to where they'd started dancing, he said, "There will be plenty of dancing in the days ahead for you."

"Hmm?"

"Your father told me he has already received numerous invitations for himself and his daughters to attend parties all over the city over the next couple of weeks." Kal-El raise a hand to forestall any instant worries Lana might have. "And royal dressmakers have been placed at your father's disposal to make sure you three ladies have a suitable number of dresses for any number of parties you might choose to attend."

"That's good," Lana sighed. "I have to admit we don't have as many fancy dresses as we might wish. At Roskilde, we just didn't have a lot of dances and parties to attend."

"It's not _all_ we do here in the winter, but it _does_ seem like it at times." Kal-El took Lana's hand and headed them toward Mara. "I'll be sure to ask Mother when she's planning our first royal ball of the season. One thing I can say is that we'll have a ball to celebrate the new year, if we haven't had one before then."

"Good. Besides getting to dance, in this room, with you…attending a royal ball has been a dream for the Lang sisters since childhood."

When they reached Mara, she joined them and they headed toward the east wing and Lana's rooms. The southeast corner was where they had to stop, as Kal-El couldn't go any farther without incurring the wrath of the guards.

Preparing to head to the royal apartments in the north wing, Kal-El promised to meet Lana after breakfast for a private tour of the palace. When she teasingly asked why _after_ breakfast, Kal-El let her know that breakfast was always a quiet, family-only meal and that he couldn't get her in there until after they were married.

"Mother and Father just wouldn't allow it. It's the one time we have to be together as a family and say whatever we want without fear of someone overhearing something."

"So it's all about communication?" Lana asked.

"Mostly," Mara said, "as well as getting to be just Jor-El, Lara, Kal-El, and Mara for a short while before we leave our quarters and become royalty again." Mara smiled wickedly at her brother and then back at Lana. "And tomorrow morning at our placid family breakfast, I intend to throw my support behind the idea of you two marrying."

Lana squealed with delight upon hearing that she had earned Mara's approval. And once that happened, nothing would do but that the two girls hugged tightly in the middle of the hallway.

"Here's to you becoming my sister," Mara said softly. "Princess Lana…how does that sound?"

"Very well, thank you," Lana replied in a matching whisper, "if only because it means I'm, first and foremost, Lana-El."

Mara looked at Kal-El, and asked, "Any bets on whether Mother or Father chokes first?"

Kal-El smiled indulgently as he waited for the two women he loved most to come up for air. When they released each other, he replied to Mara's question. "No bets, because I know you'd rig it by waiting for only one of them to have food in his or her mouth before telling them. You play dirty that way." He returned his attention to Lana to give one last piece of advice. "By the way, Lana, wear that amulet to bed, and even when you get bathed. When I sent that to you, it wasn't to protect you from someone trying to kill you or to break your bones or anything, as anyone trying that sort of attack in the palace risks execution. The amulet was to protect you from someone trying to humiliate you."

Mara saw where her brother was going with this and joined in. "Yeah, one of the nastiest pranks pulled in recent memory was when unknown assailants attacked Lady Erin McFarlane in her bed. No harm was done to her…"

"No _harm?" _Kal-El interjected incredulously.

"…no _physical_ harm was done to her," Mara said, "except for the fact that they smeared her entire body with poison ivy. Not being Kryptonian, the lady was _covered,_ from forehead to feet, with an itchy red rash the next morning and she refused to leave her rooms for weeks."

"What did she do to deserve such treatment?" Lana asked.

"Nothing," Kal-El said, as he moved to retake control of his own story. "The best Father could ever discover was that the lady had expressed a rather frank admiration for the son of a Kryptonian lord. Father's conjecture was that a couple of Kryptonian ladies decided to teach the girl a lesson about reaching above her station in life."

"Who was the Kryptonian lord?"

Lana was ready to make a note of whom to avoid noticing, when Kal-El said soberly, "My father."

"Oh."

If Lana had been set on wearing the amulet before now, she was doubly determined after hearing that warning. She'd seen Lois suffer with poison ivy once when they were little; she couldn't _imagine_ having that spread all over her body, especially not when something so important was on the line.


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72

An El Family Breakfast

When the El family sat down to breakfast the next morning, the food was brought into the spacious but comfortable family dining room by a line of servants who carefully arranged the platters, dishes, and pitchers on the ornately carved sideboard before retreating from the room.

The Els served themselves, as it was the one way to assure complete privacy so they could talk about anything and everything without it becoming news throughout the palace before lunch. And with the previous day's arrival of the Lang family, there could be only _one_ major topic of conversation at the breakfast table today. The thing was, no one wanted to be the one to bring it up, so they ate in silence for quite some time, until the king finally broke the silence…and he started the conversation as far away from his son's intended as possible.

"What do you have planned for the day, Mara?" Jor-El finally asked.

She carefully wiped the corners of her mouth before replying. "After breakfast, I plan on checking in with my people to see what progress is being made on the report they're compiling for me on the status of the families of my ladies in waiting. I expect they'll be ready sometime today, maybe tomorrow, so I don't plan on leaving until after breakfast tomorrow.

"After the meeting with my people, I might take Pretty Boy out for a long ride."

"That's such a _stupid_ name for a horse," Jor-El said.

Mara rolled her eyes extravagantly as her father brought up the old argument one more time. "Yes, Father. We all know you hate the name, but I was _six_ when he was given to me. You didn't honestly expect a six-year-old girl to name a horse something like War Chief, did you?" Mara took a mouth-cleansing drink of cool, fresh water. "That's still the best gift anyone's ever given me."

"Such a beautiful, well-mannered horse," Lara said, remembering back to the day Mara had been presented with the young colt. "I was so jealous."

"And now you don't ride at all," Kal-El said. "That's a shame." He turned to Mara. "I'd join you on that ride, Mara, except I plan on taking Lady Lana on a private tour of the palace this morning."

Now that the subject of Kal-El's love had been broached, the parents looked around the table uncomfortably, while Mara started paying close attention for the right moment to announce her support for Lana.

"_All_ morning, Kal-El?" Lara asked, with some asperity.

"At the very least. I plan on ending Lana's tour in the library because she _loves_ to read. It may take a royal command to get her to leave the library once she gets in there."

"That will be okay as long as you make sure she joins us for lunch," Lara replied. "I fully intend to spend some time getting to know this young woman. If you're going to take up her morning, I'll take her afternoon." Lara tapped a forefinger against her lower lip as she paused to think. "Better yet, I'll just send a note to her father commanding her to attend upon me. Less chance of a mistake that way."

"I think you'll be surprised by just how much you like her, Mother," Mara ventured.

Lara turned toward her daughter. "Oh? How did you two get along yesterday?"

"Very, very well," Mara said. "Lana's smart, sweet, and fun to be with. She was respectful of my position, but not awed by it. Even though she's what we sometimes disparagingly refer to as 'country nobility,' she the refinement and elegance you would expect from someone who'd grown up in the palace." Mara then took a long look at each parent, making sure they were paying attention, before she said, "If Kal-El continues to want to marry her, then nothing would make me happier. I have no reservation whatsoever when I say I hope Lady Lana will soon be my sister."

Lara's eyes widened noticeably. She hadn't expected quite that strong of a statement of support for Lady Lana. Jor-El, on the other hand, just nodded thoughtfully, as if Mara's support for Lady Lana was just another piece of information to be mulled over.

"Speaking of Lady Lana," Jor-El said. "I've set her all-night vigil for Sunday night/Monday morning."

"So," Kal-El asked, "you're going to go ahead with that, are you?"

"Why not? It's traditional for those promoted to the rank of knight to stand guard over their weapons and armor, while praying to God all night long for His divine guidance…except for those lucky few who earn 'battlefield promotions' like you did." Jor-El took a large mouthful of coffee and swallowed it before continuing. "I've decided that Lady Lana needs to be a knight _before _she can possibly become a Knight of the Dragon."

"But how is she going to do that? Lana doesn't have any armor or weapons of her own. Everything of military value that she was wearing in the battle was loaned to her by someone else."

"Baron Lang informed me that his daughter has brought all of that borrowed armor and weaponry with her in the hope of returning it to those who lent it to her in the first place.

"Her knighting ceremony will be a simple one, with only family and friends in attendance, and with her father standing in as her knightly sponsor. That will be on Monday. Her induction into the Order of the Dragon will be that Friday, and for that event, I expect every noble within traveling distance to be here. That ceremony will be in the afternoon, and will be followed by the traditional dinner and ball in her honor." Jor-El tucked his tongue into the corner of his mouth and gave his son a thoughtful gaze. "Does that satisfy you, Son?"

Kal-El nodded his head in response. "It does, Father. It does." He thought about the long gallery in the north wing of the palace that led from the war room and ministerial room on one end to the throne room on the other end. All along that wall were gigantic portraits of each of the current members of the Order of the Dragon. He was already trying to imagine how Lana's portrait was going to look. "Has the portrait artist been selected yet?"

"Yes. We'll be using the court painter for a work like this."

That finished Lana as a topic of conversation, and the rest of breakfast was spent continuing yesterday's talk with Mara about her time in Anglia. Mara was happy with that, as long as the subject stayed away from men. She talked about riding along on a few of the hunting trips the men went on, and the intricacies of court life in the island kingdom, among other things, all with Kal-El being there to support her just in case their parents started to dwell on men.

After excusing the children from the table and watching them go, Jor-El reached over to Lara and placed his hand over hers. They sat there quietly, with Jor-El's thumb rubbing the backs of her knuckles. Once he was sure they were alone, Jor-El cast a silence spell to ensure that no one overheard what he was about to say. That simple act got Lara's attention in a way few other things could have.

"I am of a mind to allow Kal-El to marry Lady Lana," Jor-El said slowly, "unless you can show me a good reason why not. Her work during the war showed she is a very capable young woman. Her work building and running the supply base showed a logical, well-organized mind, and her work in creating and leading the army that reinforced our son and won the battle showed how capable she is at inspiring people. Add to that the fact that Lady Lana Lang is currently the most popular woman of any age in the kingdom, and you've got a very, very, _very _strong candidate for our son's hand. Think of all that, and then tell me that the additional fact that she is Kal-El's true love doesn't weigh heavily in her favor.

"I know you asked Dax-Ur to keep Ingrid free, but you didn't promise him our son for his daughter, nor could you, so what is it? What's your interest in keeping them apart?"

Lara knew Jor-El had been putting a lot of thought into the subject, just by how neatly organized his argument was. But there was one thing he hadn't mentioned, and that one thing was eating her up. "My reason for keeping them apart…is you and me, Jor-El."

"Huh? Would you please run that one by me one more time?"

"You were born a Kryptonian; I was not. We married for political reasons, but because I wasn't a Kryptonian, and couldn't provide you with heirs without _being _a Kryptonian, you and I had to undergo 'the procedure.'" Jor-El started to say something but was waved to silence by his wife. "I know the procedure is safe, but if I had known how much I would end up loving you, Jor-El, I would never have gone through with the marriage _or_ the procedure. You will end up losing thirty years of your life because of that. I don't want the same thing to happen to our son."

Lara was normally a hard woman, so to see her near tears had Jor-El hurting, too. He took his hand off of hers and wrapped that arm around her shoulders to draw her tightly against him. As Lara rested her head on Jor-El's shoulders, he said, "So what if I live for one-hundred and ten years instead of one-hundred and forty? You're looking at this from the wrong end."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Suppose Kal-El and Lady Lana marry. He'll be twenty by the time the marriage ceremony happens, and she'll be what, eighteen?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"Without undergoing the procedure, he'll live to be roughly one-hundred and forty, while she'll live to be eighty. And _that's_ only if she doesn't contract a deadly disease or break her neck in a fall from a horse. That means, at _best,_ they can look forward to sixty or so years together. Not bad.

"But if they undergo the procedure, she'll gain Kryptonian powers, and live to be about one-hundred and ten, the same as him. So while he has to give up thirty years of his life, she gains thirty years, and more importantly, _they _gain thirty years to be together. Just like us, Kal-El and Lady Lana would be together for ninety years instead of just sixty.

"Haven't you seen how in love those two are? Don't you think Kal-El would gladly surrender thirty years of his life if it also meant giving up having to live the last sixty years of his life without the love of his life?"

Lara nodded her head. She and Jor-El looked to be in their forties, but that was thanks to the age-slowing properties of being a Kryptonian. In reality, they were both in their sixties, had been married for forty-plus years, and could look forward to another fifty years together. Those forty-plus years had mostly been very happy ones, and she knew her son well enough to know he would want something like that for him and his wife. _True,_ she thought, _it would be better if he was in love with a Kryptonian girl like Lady Ingrid and didn't have to lose thirty years of his life, but you can't have everything._

"I don't think he's told Lady Lana about the procedure yet," Lara said. Her quiet voice was all Jor-El needed to hear to know she'd surrendered. "And I still want to rake her over the coals for awhile before I decide she's good enough for our son." Well…_mostly_ surrendered.

"Fine," Jor-El said. "Talk to her until you're blue in the face. But I have yet to meet anyone not from the Ur family who has anything negative to say about her."


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73

The Procedure

While the Els were discussing Lana's love life, she was having breakfast with her sisters in the sitting room in Lois' quarters. The meal was over and the girls were just about to head back to their rooms to dress for the day, when a note was hand delivered to Lana.

"Sorry girls," Lana said. "I'll have to take a look at what's left of the royal gardens some other day. Kal wants to give me a private tour of the palace this morning, and his note promises plenty of time in the royal library!"

While a tour of the palace sounded nice, Lois and Alicia wanted to see something of the fabled palace gardens and wanted to give Lana and her prince plenty of alone time. Most of the foliage there would be dead or leafless by now, but they could still see the evergreen boxwood hedges of the parterre garden and the layout of the other gardens would still be visible, even if the leaves and flowers of the rest of the gardens were not.

Lana met Kal on the first floor of the South Wing and the two commenced their tour. He started off by showing her the rooms she'd been in the night before. This time, the rooms had sunlight streaming in through their windows, and Kal told Lana a bit of the history of each room, before taking her through the other floors of this wing, which were mostly filled with relatively unimportant rooms. She'd already seen the women's East Wing, and wasn't allowed in the Men's West Wing, so they strolled arm-in-arm across the breezy and cold open courtyard as they headed to the royal North Wing.

Kal led Lana up the steps to the first floor, and the doors were opened by liveried footmen just as the couple reached the top of the steps. This was the oldest part of the palace, and Lana noticed the rich wooden paneling on the walls that was waxed to a gleaming finish, with small oil lamps mounted in silver wall sconces every few feet to provide light.

Kal led her to the cabinet room, with its richly appointed table, chairs, and other fixtures, and said, "This is the room that runs the kingdom."

"Not the throne room?" Lana asked.

Kal shook his head. "No. Father makes pronouncements and rulings there, but the day-to-day business of the kingdom is handled here. All of the royal ministers meet here, with Father at the head of the table, Mother at his left side, and now me at his right side, and they go through whatever issues they have that needs a royal decision. Also, father brings his new decrees and laws here to be written down so they can be copied and sent throughout the kingdom."

"How often does the king meet with his ministers?"

"At least once a week, though Father can call a meeting whenever he wishes."

Kal watched as Lana walked the length of the room. He imagined she was thinking about the history that had been made in this room, about the decisions that had affected so many lives. She never stopped walking, never tried to sit in any of the overstuffed chairs, but allowed the tips of her fingers to trail along the tops of the chairs as she moved.

"Your mother is welcome here?" Lana asked pointedly, as she finished her walk. "She is allowed a say in things?"

"Not by law or custom," Kal replied, "but because Father wills it so. I don't know how long it took him, but once he discovered how incisive Mother's mind was, he brought her into all of his meetings as his last, most important counselor." Kal reached out and took Lana's hand, leading her out of the room. "The same that I plan on doing with you."

"You mean that, don't you?" Lana said. It was more of a statement than a question, but she couldn't quite keep the wonder out of her voice.

"Definitely. Even if I hadn't been intending to do so already, your actions during the war earned that sort of consideration."

Together, the noble couple made their way down the wide hall, looking into various rooms that housed government offices, and sometimes startling the occupants, all of whom raced to their feet when they saw the prince.

Taking up most of the other end of the first floor was the throne room itself. Lana was in awe as she stepped into that room for the first time in her life. She didn't _want_ to be, but she was.

"This is where you'll be accepted into the Order of the Dragon," Kal said.

"Lois has told me quite a bit about that," Lana whispered. "She says everyone else in the order is a great hero of the realm, and is likely old enough to be my father's father."

Kal smiled, knowing Lois must have oversimplified things, possibly out of jealousy. "She's right…as far as she goes," he said, as he led Lana deeper into the room, to stand just before the dais. "Everyone who's a member of the order has done something that saved the country, or a member of the royal family, often at great risk to their own lives. I still get sick to my stomach when I remember seeing that you had left your assigned spot that day. I'll freely admit that I don't know if I would have been able to do the same thing if I had been you at that moment." Lana was surprised by that admission, and when she asked Kal about it, he replied, "Well, I'm rarely, if ever, without my powers, so I don't know if I would have had the courage to ride into the midst of a losing battle like that wearing only leather pants and chain mail."

"When's the next session of court?" Lana asked, as she tried to change the subject.

"Not any time today," Kal assured her. "I checked with Father this morning."

"Good. I rather my first personal meeting with the king not be a case of me being where I'm not supposed to be."

Kal smiled and pulled Lana in for a kiss. "You're _exactly_ where you're supposed to be, Lana."

Figuring she knew the answer, but wanting to hear it nonetheless, Lana asked, "And where's that?"

"With me." The answer was simple, direct, and exactly what Lana had expected Kal to say, but the words made her tingle from head to toes anyway.

Kal looked around the throne room one more time, wanting to ensure that no one was nearby. The massive double doors he'd opened to enter were still wide open, which was a good thing as it was enough to keep people from thinking they were doing something in there. He then cast a spell to prevent anyone from overhearing what he had to say.

"There's something important I need to tell you about," Kal said. "Something I've sort of been neglecting in the rush of events of the past several months, but my mother sent me a note, which I received just before meeting you this morning. In it, she reminded me that I needed to bring up this topic with you."

"What is it?"

"Whenever a Kryptonian marries a non-Kryptonian, there is a procedure they must undergo if they are to have any hope of having children."

"Thus making it mandatory for me if I want to marry you," Lana said.

"Exactly…and if children were all that was involved, this wouldn't be such a big thing to worry about…"

When Kal hesitated, Lana gave him a gentle push. "But there's more."

"Oh yes. This procedure is fairly straightforward and supposedly painless. In it, you and I go somewhere far from anyone else, likely with my mother along for magical assistance. Once in a safe location, we stand next to each other…but _not, _repeat, _not_ touching. In your hand would be a decent-sized chunk of green Kryptonite."

Lana cringed. "Doesn't that make you weak?"

"Yeah, and that's a big part of the procedure. After that, Mother will stand nearby and use up all of her magic in one spell to hit me with a lightning bolt." Lana blanched when she heard that. "The lightning will hop from me to you, and combine with the green Kryptonite to give you an exact copy of my Kryptonian abilities."

"You mean…"

"You'll have strength, speed, x-ray vision, heat vision, be nearly indestructible…the works."

Lana bit her lip as she tried to hold back a hopeful grin. "Will I be able to fly?" She'd liked the one time Kal had taken her flying back at her father's rented estate in Krakovia, and the idea that she'd be able to do it on her own was almost too exciting for words.

"With some training, flying will be no problem…though some might consider it to be beneath the dignity of a royal princess under most circumstances."

"Is that all?" Lana said.

Her enthusiasm was contagious, but Kal knew he still had to tell her the hard part. "There's one other effect of this procedure that I really need to tell you about. The normal lifespan of a human body - one that doesn't suffer disease or other illness anyway - is about eighty years. The normal lifespan of a Kryptonian is about one-hundred-and-forty years. This procedure has the effect of equalizing those numbers for a half-and-half couple at about one-hundred-and-ten years." Kal paused to let Lana do the math for herself.

"Meaning…an extra thirty years for me, likely more than that once you figure in the likelihood of contracting some sort of disease, but you _lose_ thirty years." Lana teared up at the thought of her Kal surrendering thirty years of his life just to be with her.

"Hey, hey! No crying allowed, Lana. None." Kal said, as he pulled Lana into a strong hug. As he held her close, he went through the same argument his father had used on his mother. "I…lose…_nothing!_ Don't you see? I _gain_ thirty years, the same as you do. We go from maybe having sixty years together to having ninety years together. And as for those thirty, so-called lost years you're crying over? They're just part of the sixty years I would have spent mourning your loss after your death. Giving up those years is _another_ gain for me, not a loss."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Lana asked, as tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

"I don't know…not for certain anyway. But I think I was so tied up in my feelings for you, and then in helping lead the army, that I just didn't think about it much, if at all." Kal pulled back from Lana just enough to be able to look down and see her face. "Forgive me for my carelessness?"

"Yes, of course," Lana sniffled. "You need only ask and anything I have to give is yours." She went silent as she collected her thoughts. "_Ninety_ years. I can hardly conceive of such a long time."

"It does sound delightful, doesn't it?" Kal leaned in and kissed Lana once more when he saw her face break into a small smile. "There's one more thing that I know you won't mind."

"What's that?"

"Starting about the time you hit twenty years of age, your body will start to age more slowly. So when you're thirty-five, you'll look like you're thirty, and when you're fifty, you'll look like you're forty. Think you can handle that?"

Lana nodded emphatically. "My sisters will be so jealous."

"They won't be the only ones. Not at all."


	74. Chapter 74

-1Chapter 74

The Royal Library

Next up on Kal-El's itinerary was to take Lana up one floor to the royal library, which was so huge that it consumed all of the second floor. He remembered how proud she was of her family's library, and justly so given how limited her family's finances were compared to most members of Allemanian nobility. He knew the Lang library was nothing like the this one, and that there were thousands of books here that Lana had never seen, many of which she had likely never even _heard_ of.

Kal-El took Lana's hand and began to lead her back out of the throne room and toward the double helix staircase in the middle of the floor. The double helix design was essentially two separate spiral staircases wound together in one design so that people could go up one spiral while others came down the other spiral. Since the two groups of people never met, it made for much more efficient traffic flow on the steps. That consideration wasn't particularly important in this part of the palace, as not too many people had access to the North Wing, which cut down on the traffic rather dramatically.

"Where are we going now, Kal?" Lana asked, as they stepped onto the first tread of the staircase.

"The royal library," Kal-El replied. He watched as an anticipatory gleam came over her face. At that point, her building excitement took over, and suddenly she was pulling him along as she rushed up the stairs.

Stepping off the staircase on the second floor, at Kal's direction, Lana saw a narrow, walnut-paneled hallway extending to either end of the floor, and what appeared to be a number of doorways lining each side of the hallway. Nothing about what she saw looked anything like her family's library back home, and she turned to Kal with a questioning look on her face.

"Where are the books?" she asked.

"Pick a direction," Kal said.

Lana chose to go right, and as they reached the first set of doors, Lana could read a brass plaque set into the wall right next to each door. One read "Alemannian History - Pre-Conquest" and the other, right across the hall read, "Alemannian History - Post-Conquest."

Lana was quick to catch on.

"So, each room is a smaller library dedicated to a particular subject?" she asked.

"Mostly. The rooms on this end are all about history and science, while the other end contains rooms that are all about the arts: music, novels, you name it."

"The entire floor is the library then," Lana said. Her voice was filled with awe, as she could barely contemplate having that many books. "Can I…umm, can I have a look?" She was nervously biting her lower lip, as if afraid he might deny her request, but there was as little chance of that as there was of the sun rising in the west.

All Kal did was gesture for her to proceed him down the hall, something that would have caused a mild scandal if he had done it in public, but up here with no one to see them, he didn't care if Lana went first. He just wanted to watch her as she discovered the varied delights that were awaiting her.

Lana wasted no time in taking advantage of the access Kal was allowing her. She scurried down the hall, moving from door to door as she tried to choose which room she wanted to look at first. Kal followed at a distance, wondering if his lady love would be able to choose on her own, as every door she came to seemed to intrigue her.

But finally, Lana came to a door marked "Heraldry." She turned to Kal and waited for him to catch up with her. "Is this room all about the coats of arms of every noble and knight in the kingdom?" She was pretty sure she was right, but wanted confirmation.

"Yes." Kal produced a large brass key and inserted it into the lock. When the door opened, he stepped into the room and walked to the far side to pull open the heavy black felt curtains and let the sunlight pour into the room. Once it was bright enough inside to see, Lana followed Kal into the room.

She walked along the shelves and looked at the richly decorated, leather bound volumes and was surprised by the lack of dust. When she asked Kal about that, he smiled and told her the housekeeping staff had a number of housemaids whose sole job was to keep the books dust free. Lana's smile was all he needed to see to know she approved.

"You know," Kal said, as he leaned back against the window sill, "you're going to have a place in here soon."

That stopped Lana in her tracks. "Oh? How so?"

"Once you become a knight, one of the things you'll have to do is select your own coat of arms."

Lana had suspected something like that, which was why she had stopped at this room. Also, she was fairly sure she didn't have the time right now for a thorough exploration of any of the other rooms, not with lunch being so close, so she had intentionally left those for another day.

"Are there any rules about what I choose?"

"Not many, but your choice has to be approved by the Marshal of Alemannia, who at the current moment is trying to marry his daughter to me."

"You're kidding me."

"No. I'm afraid not. Duke Dax-Ur holds the position of Marshal of Alemannia." He shrugged his shoulders. "Just one of life's little coincidences. You could, of course, just choose to use your father's coat of arms, or maybe start with his and make a few changes."

"I won't worry about it too much, Kal," Lana said, after a moment's thought, "because once I marry you, I'd get the royal arms, wouldn't I?"

"For sure. A golden dragon on a white field. I can just imagine the royal armorers making a tiny suit of white-enameled plate armor for you to wear. It would likely have the first breastplate they'd ever made that had to take into account actual breasts." Kal snickered as he tried to imagine the armorers in their forges trying to hammer out the necessary rounded shapes.

Lana continued to check out some of the more personally interesting rooms of the royal library, making plans to come back later for a more thorough investigation when she had more time, before a servant came to find the prince and his lady to let them know lunch was being served.

"Has your father talked to you about receiving a note from my mother?" Kal-El asked.

"No. Why?"

Kal sighed. "Since he hasn't, it's my duty to inform you that the Queen commands your attendance upon her for lunch and for much, if not all, of the afternoon." Lana's eyebrows rose and her eyeballs threatened to pop out of her face as she heard the unexpected news. "Sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but Mother was supposed to send a note to your father, so he could tell you himself."

"Oh," Lana said. "Where am I supposed to meet her Majesty?"

The servant who'd informed them lunch was ready was still standing just inside the open doorway. Kal-El signaled for the girl and asked where the queen was to be found.

"In the family quarters, your Highness," the girl replied. "She was going to eat in her private solarium, but the king decided to join her and so the meal was shifted to the family dining room." The servant turned to Lana. "I was specifically ordered to escort Lady Lana, as she has been given permission to enter the family quarters for this occasion."

Lana knew by now she was a braver woman than she would have ever believed before the war, but that didn't help her much now, as her knees nearly buckled upon finding out she was to have a private meal and audience with the king and queen. Minutes later, she had just been led past the burly guards that watched the third floor entrance to the family quarters, and was headed for the small family dining room.

As she approached the open door, she whispered a nearly silent prayer. "God? I know I don't talk to you as often as I should, especially given what I've been through recently, and I'm sorry about that. Things have just been crazy this year. I'll try to do better in the future. What I would like now, however, is for just a little more grace, a little more composure, to deal with this meeting. So much is riding on this, and I don't want to let Kal down. Not now, not when we've come so far."

And then Lana was there. By royal command, she was reintroduced to the king and queen, who then had themselves reintroduced as a way to hopefully break the ice so they could get a good read on her.

"Please sit down, Lady Lana," the king said pleasantly.

When she sat, the queen nodded at a servant, who rushed in to give Lana the choices available for her meal. After she'd made her order, the servant disappeared, and the room became very quiet.

Lana knew better than to speak unless spoken to and thus waited patiently. She spent her time looking around the richly appointed room, with its elegant furniture and exquisitely embroidered tapestries, and wondered at the wealth this one small room hinted at. The Els waited a long time to speak, testing Lana to see if her nerves would crack and she would begin talking out of turn like so many others.

When they finally came to the conclusion that Lana wasn't about to give in, Jor-El cleared his throat and prepared to speak. Lara eyed her husband, wondering what he was doing here in the first place. This was _supposed_ to be a private meeting between her and this girl everyone was trying to foist on her and her son. For his part, Jor-El had decided at the very last minute to sit in on the meal, as he really was curious about this girl, and because he wanted to make sure Lara wasn't too rough with her.

"First off, Lady Lana," Jor-El said, "I want to thank you personally for saving the lives of my family and for saving my crown."

"I, too, wish to express my most profound thanks," Lara added somewhat hastily.

"You are most welcome, your Majesties," Lana said cautiously, "but I have to be truthful and admit I was thinking more about saving the life of a simple knight than saving your lives and the crown when I rode into battle."

When prompted by the Els, who hadn't heard this part of the story, Lana told how she had been led to believe their son Kal-El was in fact a squire, and then a knight, by the name of Clark of Kent.

"Wait," Lara said, as she stretched an arm out to grasp Lana's forearm and stop her from talking, "you mean to tell me you rode into a losing battle with little more than a twenty-man escort, and you did it all to save the life of a simple knight?"

"Not quite so simple, your Majesty," Lana said. "He was the man I loved, and I was _not _going to leave him out there to die. Not when I could do something about it. And it wasn't just saving your son that caused me to ride out there, either. I was in charge of those men, and there they were embarrassing themselves, and me as their commander, by running like cowards. I was incensed. I just couldn't allow that to continue."

The two royals eyed each other and were about to say something when the meals arrived fresh from the kitchens, which were in the basement directly beneath the North Wing. The smell was so delicious, that all conversation came to a close as the three concentrated on enjoying every morsel of their meals. When the last plate was pushed away, Lana waited for someone else to speak.

The king and queen ended up quizzing her on what had happened, from the time she had met their son and he mistook her for a stable boy - an event that had both Els laughing at their son's misfortune - right up until the end of the battle, when 'Sir Clark' had told her who he really was.

"He really killed twenty-four men?" Jor-El asked. "I didn't think he had it in him to kill when necessary."

"I don't think he would have killed if he had been the only one there," Lana replied, "but I was at risk, and so was my dressmaker, and so were a number of my father's men. We all would have died that day without my squire."

Both Els heard the deep affection in Lana's voice when she called Kal-El 'my squire,' and they shared a look that needed no words to get across it's meaning. The king didn't need to hear anything more; Lana had just confirmed his intention to allow the match. And as for the queen, her walls were beginning to crumble.

"If you'll excuse us now, Jor-El," Lara said, "I'd like to take the young lady for a private walk." The king smiled indulgently and excused himself from the table, gesturing to both women to remain seated as he rose, and then kissing his wife on the forehead before leaving the room.

As the queen stood, Lana stood also and followed her from the room. When Lara indicated a desire for a long walk down the crushed gravel pathways of the royal gardens, Lana was allowed to ask for a servant to visit her suite and come back with a suitable coat from her wardrobe.

"You won't need a coat if you marry Kal-El," the queen said. She knew her son was supposed to have told Lana about the procedure by now, but she wasn't taking any chances.

"Yes, your Majesty. The prince told me about the procedure this morning. I'm not _completely_ happy to be gaining so much at his expense, but he explained that in his eyes, he is gaining, too, and…well, I'll have to be happy with that."

Once Lana was helped into her fur coat by the servant who had retrieved it, the queen headed out of the palace into the back garden and its wide pathways, with Lana right behind. Lana couldn't imagine what the queen had to say next, but she wasn't ready for what she heard.

.


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Arrivals

The garden's bright flowers were gone, and the grass was winter brown, but the coniferous trees lent a strong green to the view in every direction, and the tea house on top of the ridge behind the palace was outlined against the clear blue sky. The crushed gravel crunched under their feet as they walked, and Lana thought she could see her sisters down at the far end of the garden, sitting on the coping of the massive fountain which had been drained for the winter. Lana walked a step behind and a step to the side of the queen, and as always, waited for the queen to speak first.

The queen could feel the effect of the amulet Lana was wearing as they walked. She felt safe anywhere on the palace grounds, but didn't like being without her powers as it made her feel like she was only partially dressed. Still, she admired the lengths her son was willing to go to when it came to protecting his lady love from a potentially humiliating attack. _This Lady Lana might make a very fine mistress for him, _Lara thought, _should he find Lady Ingrid less than acceptable after they marry._

"You know, Lady Lana," Lara finally said, "you are somewhat like me."

"You honor me, your Majesty," Lana replied, "but I would never presume…"

"Yes, yes, I know you wouldn't, but the similarity is there anyway." Lara eyed the young woman who was looking more and more like her successor. But not just yet. "Like you, I wasn't considered to be a serious contender for the hand of the crown prince. In fact, most of the people who mattered couldn't have named either you or me when our respective mating games became serious. My father was a count of middling power and wealth, while your father was a border baron who made _my_ family look rich.

"And yet, we both came from nowhere to snatch the hand of the crown prince.

"We are also both accounted as particularly intelligent women. I am the king's closest advisor, a position earned with years of loyal service and shrewd advice, while your actions during the rebellion just past are already taking on legendary status in the kingdom. Building that base and then getting those male chauvinists to follow your orders as you led them to battle showed intelligence, the ability to delegate, and sheer political guile."

"Thank you, your Majesty." It was all Lana could think to say until the queen asked her a question.

"But that's where the similarities end. I had no personal interest in the prince when I was your age. My parents were political infighters of the first rank, however, and mother was _particularly_ determined that I would marry above my station and drag my family with me to higher status. In the end, I married the prince because it was my duty to my family and to the kingdom to do so."

Lara paused and gave Lana a steely glare. "What about _your _duty to the kingdom, Lady Lana?"

"Your Majesty?" Lana asked. She was confused, as she believed she had _always_ done her duty, whether to the kingdom or her family.

"What kind of king do you believe my son will become?"

Even a slight mention of Kal was enough to make Lana smile radiantly. "I think he will be very good for Alemannia, your Majesty." _I intend to do everything I can to help him. _Lana knew better than to voice that last thought, as she didn't want to do anything to irritate the queen.

"You think Kal-El will be 'very good for Alemannia,' and yet you are set on following a course of action that will kill him." Lana's eyes widened, even as Lara pressed her attack. "Your wish to marry my son, instead of allowing him to marry one of his own people, _will_ kill him…and it will do so thirty years early.

"That's _thirty years _where the kingdom should be benefiting most from Kal-El's accumulated wisdom and experience, instead of being led by an untried boy, and it will all be because you two are giving in to your own selfish desires.

"But there's still time. Time to end this foolishness before it goes too far. The future of the kingdom may depend on it." Lana waited, wondering if the queen had more to say. "Well, Girl? Say something!"

"If your father was just a count, your Majesty, then…" Lana was thinking on the fly, and yet, trying to choose her words carefully as she did, "…then you weren't born Kryptonian either, which means your marriage to the king shortened his life, too." Lana then asked a very pointed question. "What made _your _marriage any different from what Kal-El and I want?"

"You may need to delve a little deeper into the history of Alemannia," Lara said derisively, "because what you don't seem to know is that Kal-El's grandfather, the previous king, was in a much more precarious position at that time than Jor-El was during the recent rebellion.

"Jor-El just had to survive a single charismatic strongman, while his father was new to the throne and had at least three major factions that wanted to bring him down. He was desperate to solidify his hold on the throne; my parents had just what he needed to do so and they knew it.

"To make a long story short, the kingdom needed immediate political stability far more than it needed Jor-El to live an additional thirty years at the end of his life, so my parents used their privileged position to force a marriage.

"You, on the other hand, do nothing special for the kingdom right now other than being your lovely self, and yet you _still_ wish to end my son's life early to fulfill your own selfish desires…how is that fulfilling your duty to the kingdom?"

Lana had no answer for that question and she began to tear up. She hated crying over something like this, especially in front of the person who'd made her upset in the first place, and she was fighting so hard to not cry that she never noticed the liveried servant who rushed to within a respectful distance of the queen and waited to be recognized and called forward.

Seeing Lana about to fall to pieces, Lara wanted nothing more than to give her one last push, but she knew a servant wouldn't dare bother her at this moment unless the message was of true importance. Assuming the servant had come straight from the king, she waved the young man forward. Not having been given permission to leave the royal presence, Lana stayed close to the queen as she tried to gather herself. _I will not let her see me cry! _Lana thought. _I can't!_

"What do you have for me?" Lara asked. She wanted to deal quickly with the servant and his message so she could get back to working on Lana.

The servant moved to the proper distance and swept into an elegant bow, "The seneschal bids me inform your Majesty that a visitor of particular interest to your august self has just arrived at the palace."

"Oh? Do tell." Lara commanded, even as she privately wondered which jumped up minor nobility it was this time. She was going to have to have a talk with the seneschal about who was truly important and who could be handled by the regular protocol.

"Your Majesty, the Dowager Countess of Hannsberg, Irilta Von Schalkenberg has arrived at the palace and is even now claiming rooms just down the hall from Princess Mara's suite."

Lara's face went from flushed to ghostly pale in little more than a couple of seconds. If there was one person on the planet she did not want to see right now, who she had in fact hoped to never see again, it was the dowager countess, who was known otherwise to Lara as Mother. Lara's mind went into a tizzy and all thoughts of hammering away at Lana were forgotten. _What in the Hell could Mother be doing back here? _Lara fretted. _Doesn't that nosy bitch have enough to keep her busy elsewhere? If not, I'm sure I can find something for her to do that involves leaving the palace._

"I'm sorry, Lady Lana," Lara said hurriedly, "but we will have to continue this interview at a later date."

Lana watched the queen scurry off, wondering why she was leaving, but mostly just happy that she was. Lana had been surprised to be ordered to eat with the king and queen and then be taken on a walk for a private conversation by the queen. But another surprise had been awaiting Kal-El once Lana left his presence. As one servant led Lana to her private lunch, another came to the prince and handed him a note. Kal-El instantly recognized the writing as being his mother's, and what it said was that she wanted him to have lunch with Lady Ingrid, at the very least, and also spend some time with her in the afternoon while Lady Lana was otherwise occupied.

Now that Kal-El was an adult, he didn't _have_ to follow her orders, but didn't want to make her angry by rejecting a meeting she had likely already set up. He thought about it for a minute and finally decided to go when he realized this was a prime chance for him to advance Mar-Ken's chances with Ingrid.

Kal-El met Ingrid in a comfortably warm, well-lit sitting room on the fourth floor of the South Wing. A table was already set for an elegant meal for two, and Ingrid rose as Kal-El entered the room. She turned toward him and curtseyed low as he approached her.

Kal-El stopped and sighed. "It's just you and me, Ingrid, please don't act like that."

Ingrid took Kal-El's words as permission to rise. "Why not, Kal?" she asked. "You've been home for some time now and haven't come to see me even once. I know things between us are a little difficult because of the marriage stuff, but not seeing you at all makes me feel like we aren't even friends any more."

Kal-El knew there was some truth to what Ingrid said, but he'd been busy with Lana, and he'd also made a conscious decision to avoid Ingrid so no one, including Lana, got any wrong ideas about him and Ingrid. "I can't be spending a lot of private time with you, Ingrid. People would talk."

"Is that so bad, Kal?" Ingrid said as she stepped within arm's reach of him and placed her hands on his muscular biceps. "I can remember a time when you wanted nothing more than to be with me." Her voice smoldered and so did her eyes. Ingrid was throwing everything into this, as she thought it might be her last chance to make some headway with him. There were two servants in the room, standing up against the wall and waiting for orders, but she knew they wouldn't move an inch unless called for.

Kal-El stepped back as he brushed her hands from her arms. "I thought I loved you once, Ingrid," Kal-El admitted. "But that was years ago. I was just a child, and so were you."

"Why Lady Lana?" Ingrid asked. Her voice was shaky, as were her hands. "Why are you so fixed on her that no one else has a chance?"

Instead of answering her question, Kal-El responded with one of his own. "Why are you so fixed on me? Many men would dearly love to pay court to you." Kal stepped around Ingrid and headed for the table, determined to eat as quickly as possible and end this arranged meeting. When he moved to sit, a servant stepped forward and seated Ingrid. "One particularly worthy man has pursued you for some time, but now that my mother has asked your father to hold off on any contracts, he gets no response from your father."

Once they were both seated, the servants stepped forward again and plated the first course of the meal on their chargers, before pouring a goblet of wine for each and then retreating to their positions along the wall.

Curious in spite of her goal, she asked, "Who? Father's told me of no one."

"The Duke of Salzerei, Lord Mar-Ken." Kal-El watched Ingrid closely and saw the surprise that washed across her face.

"I…umm…really?" Ingrid set her utensils down and took a long drink of the light, fruity white wine. As she swallowed the faintly sweet drink, she allowed herself to think about Mar-Ken for a moment. _The Kens…a proper Kryptonian family…wealthy, powerful, and popular with the royal family after his actions in the rebellion, _Ingrid thought. _Personally, he's not especially handsome, but not repulsive. Intelligent, well-spoken, and polite. But somewhat old. He's got to be thirty years old if he's a day._ Still, knowing that such a man was interested in her to the point of pursuing her hand was a definite feather in her cap. "Why hasn't Father mentioned him?"

"Do you _really_ need me to answer that?"

Ingrid shook her head. "No. He wants me focused on you."

"Please understand this, Ingrid," Kal-El said impassionedly. "My parents can prevent me from marrying Lana, but they cannot force me to marry anyone else." He paused to make sure she was listening carefully. "This is not in any way meant as a slight on you, but I will never marry anyone but Lana. _Never."_

Ingrid swallowed hard, even though she didn't have anything in her throat, and the two of them turned to their meal, eating it in companionable silence. After the meal was finished and the dishes were taken away, Kal-El felt comfortable enough with Ingrid that he didn't mind taking her on a walk inside the palace. He pulled aside the first servant he saw and ordered him to find Duke Mar-Ken and have him start walking the halls of the South Wing.

When Kal-El and Ingrid ran into Mar-Ken, the prince asked the duke to join them. His job after that was nothing more than to facilitate conversation between Mar-Ken and his intended. They were doing well, with little help from Kal-El, when a servant approached him, much as one was at that moment approaching the queen.

"Your Highness," the servant said, after being signaled to approach, "the Dowager Countess of Hannsberg, Irilta Von Schalkenberg has arrived at the palace and is claiming a suite next to Princess Mara's suite."

Hearing that his grandmother had broken her self-imposed exile and returned to the palace hit Kal-El hard. "Grandmother's come home?" he couldn't manage to repress the smile that swamped his face. "Does anyone else know?"

"Servants have been sent to the rest of the royal family, your Highness," Kal-El was assured. "But there's one additional message for you: she showed up with a ragtag band of ex-soldiers as her bodyguard. A band that was led by the Dark Knight."

"Have the household staff find Lady Lois Lang, wherever she may be, and let her know Sir Bruce has arrived. Go!"

Kal-El then made his excuses to the duke and lady and headed for the courtyard at a fast walk. He used his super-hearing to find the rest of his family and found that Mara was already engaged in a fierce hug with their beloved grandmother. He smiled as he heard Grandma exclaiming over how much Mara had grown and how beautiful she had become. Jor-El was still in the family quarters, which didn't surprise Kal-El a bit, as the king had never liked his mother-in-law. As for his mother, she was out back in the garden, heading this way.

Remembering that Lana was supposed to be with his mother, Kal-El listened for her, too, and was shocked to hear her quietly choking back sobs. He was torn between meeting his grandma for the first time in years and going to Lana to see what had happened with his mother.

His indecision only lasted for a moment.

_As much as I want to see Grandma, _Kal-El thought, _she can wait. Lana needs me, and she is ever my first priority. _Kal-El kicked it into super-speed and raced to Lana's side, coming to a stop just before he stepped into the range of her amulet.

"Dearest…beloved…" Kal-El said, finding his own voice choked with emotion as he tried to imagine what could have happened to Lana, "…what's the matter?"

He ran to her side and had her wrapped in his arms, with her tear-streaked face pressed tightly against his chest, before she said, "The queen…she says…says marrying you is a violation of my duty to the kingdom. She says you need to marry _Ingrid."_

Kal-El hugged Lana even tighter and encouraged her to let her feelings loose, even as he turned his head toward the palace and glared at the spot where he knew his mother was standing. _You and I are going to have a talk, Mother. It's going to happen soon, and it's not going to be a happy event._


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Grandma

Lana sank further into Kal's arms and allowed her body to mold itself tightly against his as she let loose. For his part, Kal held Lana as tight as he dared, wanting her to know without having to hear another word that he wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

Lana was right about her sisters being the ones down by the empty fountain, and when they saw Lana fall into Kal's arms, they hurried down the length of the crushed gravel pathway to see what was going on. It was obvious long before they reached Lana that she and the prince weren't stealing kisses in the middle of the garden, so when they came to a stop, Lois asked what was wrong.

"Nothing special, Lois," Kal said. He wanted Lana to be able to decide just how much she told her sisters, and he knew she wasn't emotionally ready to think about that just yet. "Oh, but there is something interesting happening in the courtyard."

"And that would be…?" Lois asked.

"My grandmother just arrived. It's her first appearance at the winter palace since before I was a teenager." Lois gave Kal-El a look that said _boooooorrrrrrrriiiinnnnggg! _without her even having to move her lips. "And…she brought along a small escort, led by none other than Sir Bruce Wayne."

Lois' eyes popped open as wide as her mouth, and she only paused a moment to wish Lana well before asking to be excused from the royal presence and scurrying off once Kal-El granted his permission. Alicia had watched silently, allowing Lois to take the lead as was her right as the eldest sister. But now that Lois was gone, Alicia edged forward.

"Your Highness, I'd _like_ to stay and help Lana, but I think I'm just in the way right now." Kal-El then waved one hand as a signal for Alicia to withdraw. She ran one hand down Lana's back, letting her sister know she cared. "If either of you should need assistance, please call on me."

Kal-El watched Alicia walk away and rubbed Lana's back with one hand even as he whispered in her ear. "What Mother wants doesn't matter, Lana. Not to me, and it shouldn't matter to you."

"But she's the _queen," _Lana sniffled.

"That's true. It's also true that she's a prideful woman who has been trying to arrange a match between me and Ingrid since before I ever met you. She doesn't take kindly to being wrong or to losing." Kal-El leaned in and kissed Lana's cheek. "Someone just needs to set her straight. Right now, that's my job.

"I'm sorry I let her mess with you like that, Lana. Palace political infighting can be dirty at times."

"That's okay, Kal," Lana said. "You can't be with me all of the time, and I have to learn how to deal with attacks like this one on my own. I didn't do so well this time. I guess I just need more practice."

"You _will_ get it, too," Kal-El said. "People will be testing you for as long as we're together…at least until we marry." He thought for a moment and then a permitted himself a small smile. "Want to see someone give my _mother_ some trouble?"

"Yeah," Lana said, "I'd like that."

"Come on. Let's hurry."

Kal took Lana by the hand and they hurried along the gravel path back to the palace. He took her along the most direct path to the courtyard, hoping royal protocol was slow enough that his grandmother was still there. If not, there would be plenty of chances to see them together later.

Kal and Lana burst through the double doors at the top of the stairs and saw an ornate carriage of an older style sitting in front of the steps. It was mud-spattered from what was likely weeks on the road, but it didn't hold their attention any longer than it took for them to spot the small knot of people on the bottom few steps. Lara and Mara were easy for Lana to pick out, and she assumed the rest were Kal's grandma and her ladies, but since they all had white hair, she couldn't quite figure out which one was the Dowager Countess.

Kal ended Lana's confusion by directing her to look at the tallest woman there. "Mara and I _love_ Grandma," he said, pointing to where Mara was looking at her grandmother with a huge smile. "She's always treated us like gold." Then he pointed to Lara. "Mother, on the other hand, has always detested Grandma."

That the queen was uncomfortable was evident even to someone like Lana who didn't really know her. Body posture alone made that plain, as Lara held herself stiffly and had her nose up in the air ever so slightly, as if she was smelling something she didn't like.

It looked to both of them like Kal's grandma was just about ready to walk up the steps and enter the palace, a thought that was confirmed when they heard her strong voice say, "What are you doing keeping me out here in the sun, Lara? In case you've forgotten, I'm old. My skin is wrinkly enough without being exposed to the weather!"

"Yes, Mother," came Lara's patient reply.

"I'm going inside," she turned and gave her ladies a jaundiced look. "These cackling hens can stay out here and freeze for all I care."

"Is that any way to speak of your ladies, Mother?" Lara asked.

The older woman whipped her head back around and glared at her daughter. "_You_ haven't spent the last month cooped up in a carriage with them. A more nonsensical group of women I've never been around." She gestured to her granddaughter. "Come along, Mara, we have much to catch up on." She turned then and started to climb the steps, when she finally spotted Kal-El.

"That _can't_ be…" she breathed, "…_can't_ be my boy. Is that really you, Kal-El?" She gestured at Kal-El with a gnarled, old hand, and he waited only long enough to excuse himself from Lana before racing down the steps and into his grandma's arms. "That's my boy," she murmured happily. "That's my grandson."

"I love you, Grandma," was Kal-El's heartfelt reply. "I was beginning to think you weren't ever coming home. I thought we'd lost you."

Lana could hear the raw emotion in Kal's voice, and started tearing up herself. She hoped he would be careful, because he was hugging his grandma awfully hard for someone who wasn't Kryptonian, but from what she could tell, the older woman didn't mind the bonecrunching hug one single bit.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Grandson, I intend to be around for quite some time yet. Long enough to see you married and have children of your own at the very least."

"Married, huh?" Kal-El said as he released his grandma and stepped back. "In that case, I have someone I _really_ want you to meet."

Kal-El turned and offered his arm to his grandma, who curled her arm around his and allowed him to lead her up the steps. She spotted Lana almost immediately, and asked, "Who is that lovely child?"

"She's not a child, Grandma," Clark said, "she's my intended."

That only served to intensify his grandma's look at Lana. "Kal-El, at my age _everyone_ is a child, including your parents."

"Yes, Ma'am." He knew it didn't pay to argue with his grandmother, especially when she was cranky.

When Kal-El and his grandma gained the top of the steps, he stopped in front of Lana, and said, "Grandma? This is Lady Lana Lang, second daughter of the Baron of Roskilde." He turned to Lana. "Lana? This is the Dowager Countess of Hannsberg, Irilta Von Schalkenberg."

When Kal was finished with the formal introductions, Lana curtseyed deeply, even though the difference in their ranks was slight. Lana's act was more a measure of her respect for the older lady's years and experience, plus the fact that Kal loved her.

"Rise, Lady Lana, I don't have time for that bowing and curtseying nonsense…and call me Lady Irilta, the rest of that title is too much of a mouthful."

Lana rose, and said, "Yes, Lady Irilta."

Irilta looked at Lana with a critical eye. Nothing escaped her steely gaze, and Lana had the distinct feeling that by the time the older lady's eyes returned to her face, she had been measured to such a degree that Lady Irilta could have sewn her a dress.

"She's definitely pretty enough, Kal-El," Lady Irilta said, "and you say her father is just a baron?"

"Soon to be promoted to count. Father's promised him his choice of the counties that come open once the disloyal counts have been dispossessed."

"Wait…" Lady Irilta said, "…_Lang?_ Lady Lana _Lang?" _She slapped a hand to her forehead. "I am getting old," she mumbled, "we've _only_ been hearing of the mysterious Lady Lang for the last two weeks, and yet when I meet her, I treat her like…"

Lady Irilta made a show of deliberately gathering her skirts and then curtseyed as low to Lana as the much younger girl had done to her. Kal-El was worried his grandma might lose her balance and fall, but the older woman was spry and suffered nary a wobble. Lana was a quick enough study to realize that she was being given a signal honor. She was quite sure that Lady Irilta wasn't the kind of woman to curtsey to just anyone, no matter what their rank.

"Please, Lady Irilta…" Lana said, but the older woman cut her off as she stood straight once more.

"…marrying the war hero to my grandson. What a brilliant stroke." She turned to Kal-El. "I didn't know your father had it in him."

"He doesn't," Kal-El replied. "Not yet anyway. _I_ chose Lana…and she chose me."

"A _love_ match?" Lady Irilta's look was one of incredulity. But when both Kal-El and Lana nodded yes in reply to her question, her face broke out into a huge smile. "Better and better. Marrying her will help tie the barons to the crown, and with the way her legend is already sweeping the kingdom, marrying her will tie the common folk more securely to the crown also…you say your ham-handed father hasn't consented to the match yet?"

"No, Grandma," Kal-El said, and then he had a nasty thought, which he followed through on right away. "Not only that, but Mother just played dirty as she tried to get Lana to change her mind."

One look at Lana was all Lady Irilta needed to confirm the truth of her grandson's statement. Mara had been behind her grandmother all this time and nudged her to let her know the queen was on her way back up the steps.

"Since your sister has told me she is leaving tomorrow," Lady Irilta said, "I'll be spending my time today catching up with her. But I expect to see you both right after breakfast tomorrow." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the advancing queen. "It sounds like we may have some work to do."


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Talking

Sir Bruce and the six remaining retired soldiers had just handed over Lady Irilta and her ladies to the palace staff and were headed back toward the tunnel they'd just come through, when Lois popped out of the doors at the top of the steps and bellowed, "Where in the _Hell_ do you think _you're_ going?"

No name was mentioned, but all seven men knew who she was yelling at. The other six just looked at Bruce and wished him good luck before continuing through the tunnel. Bruce turned in time to see Lois storming around the parked carriage - where the queen was helping her mother disembark - and decided he'd be better off facing her on the ground, man-to-man…so to speak.

The two of them locked eyes with each other halfway across the courtyard, and Lois just kept on walking toward him, as implacable as the seasons. When she reached where the Dark Knight was standing with his warhorse, she pulled back with her right arm and gave him a powerful full-armed slap right across his jaw. Bruce's head jerked to the right, but quickly snapped back into place, with a red handprint on his face being the only sign he'd been slapped.

"_That_ was for worrying the crap out of me!" Lois fumed. She waited only a moment more before grabbing him by the ears and forcefully pulling him into a furious kiss. Bruce was surprised by the kiss, but quickly recovered and responded with passion of his own. "And _that," _Lois added in a warm, quiet voice, when she came up for air, "was for coming back."

Bruce reached up with a calloused hand and carefully stroked Lois's cheek, as if it were made of thin silk that he was afraid of tearing. Lois felt the roughness of his skin, but leaned into it nonetheless as she reveled in his gentle touch.

"I thought of you a lot the past few months," Bruce said, his quiet voice choked with emotion. "I used to wonder if you'd ever accept a broken down knight like me. But as we fought our way here, my goals changed. All I wanted was one more glimpse of your face, just one chance to tell you in person that…I love you."

"Your letters told me that, Bruce," Lois replied, "and they meant a lot to me, but hearing it in your voice, and seeing it on your face…that means even more."

They kissed again, this time at a slower, more measured pace, until Bruce happened to see Kal-El and Lana burst out of the doors on the other side of the expansive courtyard. Not wanting to be tied down at the moment by having to deal with the prince and any questions he might want to ask, he tugged on Lois with one hand, and on his horse's reins with the other, and the three of them walked through the tunnel to escape royal notice.

After Kal-El completed the introductions of Lana and his grandma, Lady Irilta walked off with Mara to have their comfortable chat. Kal-El looked at Lana - who was still wearing her fur coat - and asked if she'd like to go for a walk through the gardens.

"As long as it means spending time with you, Kal," Lana replied, "I'll go anywhere."

Kal and Lana spent the afternoon walking aimlessly up and down the many paths in the gardens. They didn't talk of anything of importance as they walked, but Lana's hand never left Kal's and they didn't come back inside until it was time to dress for dinner.

Lady Irilta and Mara had much to catch up on, as the older woman hadn't been in the winter palace in seven years, and the last time the El children had seen her _anywhere_ had been four years earlier at her country estate, the place she had lived at ever since going into self-imposed exile from the royal court.

After Mara had answered every question her grandmother had, she had a few of her own. For her first question, Mara asked Lady Irilta why she'd chosen to come back to the palace _now,_ after so long away.

"Action! That's why. It was deadly boring out there at my manor, and people who knew I'd be interested kept dropping by to tell me the latest doings." She shrugged her shoulders. "First the rebellion, then I hear about the miraculous victory with your brother in overall command of the army, then I hear about this Lady Lana and _her_ exploits. It just seemed like everything interesting was going to be happening here at the palace, and I wanted to be here when it did.

"And now…_you_ tell me you want to marry some far off king."

"More than anything, Grandma."

Lady Irilta peered into Mara's shining eyes and then shook her head in disbelief. "_Another_ love match." Lady Irilta drummed her fingertips on the table they were sitting at, and added, "You know we'll have to meet this boy."

"Of course. We've already planned for him to come back with me in the spring." Mara then went on to explain the reasoning behind the plan she, Kal-El, and Richard had devised.

"Coming out and telling the truth to Jor-El," Lady Irilta said, once Mara was finished explaining. "A novel concept. The fact that you and Kal-El thought of it shows you're really growing up…and as for this King Richard, he'll have his turn to prove himself worthy in the spring."

The evening meal passed without incident, something everyone was grateful for given the way tension had risen in the palace after Lady Irilta's arrival, but after the meal was when the real fireworks started, as two young nobles, Kal-El and Ingrid, each sought out one of their respective parents to have a serious talk.

Ingrid found Dax-Ur first. She had spent her lunch that day with Kal-El, and that was what he wanted to hear about. She, on the other hand, wanted to tell her father about the long afternoon she'd spent in the pleasant company of another worthy noble. More importantly, she wanted to know why she had been kept in the dark about her suitors.

"Kal-El was polite, Father," Ingrid said, "but he made it perfectly clear I have no chance of marrying him."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes, that's so." She screwed her face into a mask of concentration, pretending to think hard, and then said, "I believe his exact words were: 'I will never marry anyone but Lana. _Never.'"_

"We'll just have to see what the king and queen have to say about that."

"What _can _they say? You know the law. The king can prevent his nobles from making a marriage he doesn't approve of, but he can't _force_ them to marry who he chooses. The only way they could have forced Kal-El would have been to marry him off while he was still a minor. Now that he's an adult, he gets to choose.

"And speaking of choice," Ingrid said, with a distinct edge to her voice, "why haven't I been kept apprised of the men who have been pressing their suits for my hand? Hmm? I know you've wanted me to focus on Kal-El, but we've always needed a viable backup plan, now more than ever."

"Who?" Dax-Ur was smart enough to realize someone must have contacted Ingrid directly. He wasn't happy with that, but as long as the man followed the forms of expected behavior, he couldn't complain about it. Not openly anyway.

"The Duke of Salzerei, Lord Mar-Ken."

_Mar-Ken,_ Dax-Ur thought, _a good man. Loyal. Honorable. In high favor with the king. _

"How did you like him, Ingrid?"

"Better than expected. He's rather old…"

"He's only thirty!" Dax-Ur interjected.

"And I'm _eighteen._ That's a distance of twelve years, a distance that is usually a _gulf_ when it comes to marital relations." Dax-Ur conceded the point with a nod, and Ingrid pushed on. "Anyway, I didn't expect much, partially due to his age, partially due to the fact he spends little time in the capital, but mostly due to the fact that he was pushed on me by the prince himself."

"The _prince?" _Dax-Ur sputtered. _That sneaky son-of-a-bitch! _"So tell me about Mar-Ken. I know him in the council chamber and on the battlefield, but know nothing else to recommend him to my daughter."

"He speaks roughly, with little of the tutored elegance of the royal court, but he speaks with a directness and candor that I've come to appreciate after spending so many months with the army." Ingrid took a deep breath. "Father, Mar-Ken wants to marry me."

"And what about you? What do you want? Don't you want to be the next queen and have your children and grandchildren rule this kingdom?"

"That would have been nice, but it's not to be. Kal-El would have been a good husband, I think, but he doesn't want me." Ingrid took a drink of fresh, cool water. "Do you know how exciting it is to be wanted by a worthy man? Being _wanted_ is a more powerful aphrodisiac than I ever could have dreamed."

"Could you be happy with him?"

Ingrid paused to think. "I believe so. I'd like more meetings with him though to make sure. Visits at his castle and visits at your palace. I'd like _some_ time to get to know him the way he already seems to know me."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He seemed to know almost everything about me already. He'd studied me, talked to people who knew me…he said initially he was trying to learn if I might be compatible with him, but then he said his focus shifted and then he was trying to show just how serious he was about me."

_I wish Helen was here, _Dax-Ur thought, as he rubbed his forehead. _She was always the one who knew what to do about marriages and such…but she's still out of the kingdom trying to get our son a suitable wife._

"No more meetings with Mar-Ken until I talk with him first, Ingrid. That's an order."

"Yes, Father."

"Time for me to see what else is out there for you." Ingrid smiled slightly upon hearing that, which caused her father to give her a small smile of his own, before he said, "You know I only want what's best for you, Ingrid, right?"

"I know. You and Mother both."

"But even if I agree that Mar-Ken is good enough for you, we still need to wait for the queen to release you. If I go off and make a marriage contract for you while she's still trying to marry you to her son, she would be highly insulted and might harbor a grudge that could damage our family for years."

As for Kal-El, he found his mother in the family library. Not the massive royal library one floor lower, but the private library where she liked to take her ease after the evening meal. A quick rap of his knuckles on the half open door was enough to get her to look up from her book.

"Kal-El!" Lara said. "What a pleasant surprise! I'd thought I had dropped off your social horizon."

"This isn't a pleasure call, Mother," Kal-El said. "I'm here to straighten a few things out, before Grandma sinks her teeth into you."

Lara set down her book and rubbed the bridge of her nose. The mere mention of her mother was threatening to give her a rare headache. "I don't know why that woman still affects me so," Lara mused. "I'm not a girl anymore."

"As I am not a boy." Lara tried to cut in, but Kal-El rode over her. "By all the laws and traditions of the kingdom, I became a man the moment I was knighted. And in the matter of my marriage. I have been trying to act like the man I claim to be. But your stunt with Lady Lana in the gardens this afternoon has stretched my somewhat limited patience to the breaking point.

"You may be able to prevail upon Father to keep me from marrying Lana, but if you do, I _swear_ I will pay you back in kind."

Lara got a sick feeling in her stomach that made her forget all about her oncoming headache. "What ever can you mean, Kal-El?"

"The day Sir Bruce and I stopped your carriage on the open road, Sir Bruce ducked back into your carriage for one last comment. I kept on walking, but I heard every word he said, and he's correct. If you prevent my marriage to Lana, I can and _will_ forswear the crown, thereby forcing Father to divorce you and marry a new, much younger wife."

Lara was stunned to silence and looked to Kal-El as if she was ready to vomit.

"There is one good thing in all of this, Mother: Lady Ingrid might get to be the queen a lot sooner than you had hoped." Kal-El bowed formally to his mother and backed out of the room. Just before he pushed the door closed, he added, "What's more important, Mother? Your pride or your love? I've made my choice. I've already chosen Lana's love over being the next king. What's your decision?"


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78

A Concession

Breakfast the next morning in the royal apartments was a tense affair. Lara refused to look at either her son or her mother, Kal-El kept quiet as he tried to judge what his mother was going to do after their run-in the previous evening, and Mara was unusually somber during her last meal with her family before flying back to Anglia.

The report that Mara's staff had put together about the fates of the families of her ladies-in-waiting was sitting on a table in her rooms bound with red ribbon and sealed with a white wax that had flecks of gold embedded in inside. Not wanting to fly with a heavy heart, Mara had sealed the report before reading it; she was determined to leave that unpleasant duty for when she was back where she could look forward to having Richard help ease her pain from having to tell her ladies who had died and who had lived.

Once the meal was over, Kal-El asked to be excused, as he planned on seeing if Baron Lang and Lady Lana wanted to go to the royal library so they could begin the process of creating Lana's personal coat of arms for her upcoming knighthood. Lara quickly excused her son, and when Mara was excused minutes later, the queen dismissed the servants and cast a spell to prevent anyone from overhearing what she had to say.

Jor-El had known something was up, as his wife hadn't slept well all night long and had been crabby when she finally got up that morning. Lady Irilta didn't know anything other than her daughter was upset, but being a shrewd observer, she suspected it had something to do with her grandson, just from watching the way everyone interacted during the meal.

Lara waited until her husband and her mother had set down their utensils and had given her their undivided attention before she spoke. "Though it pains me greatly to allow my son's life to be unnaturally shortened by marrying outside our people, I find I have little choice in the matter and thus am announcing my official…_support…_for the union of Crown Prince Kal-El and Lady Lana Lang."

The whole speech sounded strained to both of Lara's listeners, and the word 'support' had sounded as if it had been forcibly dragged from her body, but what mattered was that she had said the words.

"Good!" Jor-El exclaimed as he wiped his mouth with a heavy linen napkin. "I'm glad you came around, Lara. I didn't relish having to make that announcement without you by my side." He was blatantly ignoring Lara's tone of voice and her assertion that she had been forced into making this concession, at least while they were in company. He intended to talk with her privately about that later on, but right now they had a royal wedding to discuss.

Surprised that her daughter had come around, Lady Irilta could only imagine what her grandson had done to twist his mother's arm. "'Little choice in the matter,' eh?" Lady Irilta jibed. "Sounds like someone's learning to play palace politics if you ask me, and none too soon either."

"Kal-El?" Jor-El asked his mother-in-law. He may not like the woman, but he knew how good she was when it came to politics and respected her opinions accordingly.

"Oh yes. Lara wouldn't even look at Kal-El during the meal, and we both know how she dotes on the boy." Lady Irilta tucked her tongue into the corner of her mouth as she thought on a slightly different subject. "Of course, if she was stupid enough to stand between those two for any length of time, her relationship with Kal-El may be seriously strained right now."

Lara flinched at being called stupid by her mother, though she supposed she ought to be used to such treatment by now. Lady Irilta had pushed her as a child, pushed her relentlessly if the truth be known, so much so that Lara was used to always falling short of the exacting standards her mother set for her. _If Mother was the judge, _Lara thought sourly to herself, _I could finish third in a two-person contest._

"So, we're having a royal wedding, to be followed immediately by another ceremony where the new bride is consecrated and then crowned as a royal princess. Despite your fears about the shortening of Kal-El's life, Lara, I think Lady Lana is a nearly perfect fit for our son, _and_ she now carries a matchless reputation that can do nothing but strengthen our family's hold on the throne."

With the servants banished from the room, Jor-El got up and refilled his goblet from the pitcher on the sideboard. Using a brief blast of super-breath to chill the juice to his liking, Jor-El retook his seat before continuing.

"That wedding won't be for another fourteen or fifteen months at the very soonest, but that won't prevent us from getting started on the preparations. And those preparations will begin with drawing up a prospective guest list and sending out royal invitations."

"That will be my task," Lara said. "I suppose I'll have to work with a couple of your ministers on that, before bringing the preliminary list to you for approval."

"And I'll have to meet with any number of ambassadors whose kings and queens were still hoping to arrange a marriage with Kal-El." Tugging at his chin with one hand, Jor-El added, "Maybe I can just have them all here at once and have the audience in the throne room. Then we can send out the invitations a few days later. Hmm."

"Your Majesty?" Lady Irilta asked. "What role do you wish me to play in this?"

Lara shook her head as if to say 'Don't you dare shackle me with her.' Jor-El hadn't been planning on it as he wanted the wedding preparations to go smoothly, so he said, "Lady Lana has no close, older female relative to help guide her through the process. I've been told you got along famously with the girl when you met her yesterday," Jor-El shot his wife an evil look at that moment, leaving no doubt in her mind that someone had told him about her run-in with Lana the day before in the garden, "so I would consider it a favor if you would take that role with Lady Lana."

Lady Irilta nodded her head. "I would be honored to, your Majesty."

"I'm unsure of her knowledge of court etiquette and politics, Lady Irilta, so I leave her remedial education in those areas up to you also."

"As you command."

"One more thing: word of this impending betrothal is not to go beyond the people in this room until after Lady Lana's knighting ceremony and her later investiture as a member of the Order of the Dragon. Until that time, she will need to keep her focus on those things. And that order of secrecy _definitely_ includes not telling our children. Kal-El couldn't keep a secret like this from that girl if he tried, and Mara would give everything away with one of her smiles."

Jor-El knew Lara wasn't used to receiving commands from the king, but when she did, she'd never disobeyed them. Lady Irilta was more likely to go off on her own and do as she pleased, but he was fairly sure she saw the necessity of this particular command.

"I never thought I'd be marrying off my only son to a knight," Lara joked quietly.

Making a joke like that was so out of character for Lara that both Jor-El and Lady Irilta froze for a second before howling with laughter. Lara joined in the laughter and tears were streaming down all three of their faces by the time they got themselves under control again.

Taking advantage of the lightened mood, Jor-El leaned over and kissed his wife on the lips. She closed her eyes as her mouth yielded to his, and when her eyes opened once more, he asked, "So, are you going to be able to live with this?"

Lara thought and then nodded. "Yes. Now that the decision is made, I can."

"Good."

It took Kal-El a few minutes to locate Lewis and Lana. Both were happy to get a start on the design of Lana's coat of arms, as they knew it had to be done by the weekend, and so the three of them spent the morning in the royal library looking at older designs and discussing various possible color combinations.

Just before lunch, they left the library to go down to the courtyard to see Mara off on her trip. The only reason she had waited this late in the day was because she flew faster than the planet rotated, so if she had left right after breakfast, it would have been full dark in Anglia when she landed.

Mara had a sturdy pair of breeches on under her dress to protect her modesty, and after a series of hugs and kisses from her nearest and dearest friends and relations, Mara took her report - which was now in a wooden case to protect it during the flight west - had hurtled into the sky, disappearing from sight in mere moments.

Kal-El watched Lana watch Mara fly off. He smiled at the way Lana's mouth gaped open when Mara disappeared. "Can't wait until you can do that yourself, can you?"

"Am I that easy to read?" Lana asked, her gaze still fixed on the sky.

"No. It's just that anyone in your position would have to be wondering what it will be like to have that kind of power." Kal-El took her arm and they headed inside. "It's fun, but it's addictive, and people can take it away from you with a simple stone. So it's best to not get too dependent on using your power."

"Is that why I rarely see you use yours?"

"Mmm-hmm."

After a hurried lunch, Lana, Lewis, and Kal returned to their work, and by mid-afternoon Lana had finally settled on a simple design. Her father's coat of arms had a gold tiger on a purple field. She kept the colors, but reversed them and made the tiger smaller so there'd be room to place a pair of crossed daggers below the tiger.

"It's not fancy…" Lana said, as they looked at the rough sketch of a purple tiger on a golden field with two crossed purple daggers below.

Kal-El finished her sentence, "…but it doesn't have to be, as you get the royal coat of arms once we marry."

Each wrapped a single arm around the other then and they hugged. Lewis took the drawing and rolled it up before saying, "We'll present this to Lord Dax-Ur in the morning and get things moving."

"Hmm?" Lana asked.

"Oh yes. Once that's approved, the shield that's being made to go with your light armor will be painted with your arms. Also, some seamstresses will need to make you a tabard with your chosen design."

"That's a lot of work to go through for just one woman," Lana said.

"Not just one woman, Lana," Kal-El said, as he gave her another one-armed squeeze. "_The_ woman. The first woman in our kingdom's history to have earned a knighthood. I suspect that fact alone will cause the seamstresses to stay up late as they make sure your tabard is the finest example of their craft. Some might even refuse to be paid for the honor of making _your_ tabard."

Dax-Ur had been in an upper room of the South Wing as he watched Princess Mara's leave taking. But his eyes had been on the prince and his intended. Even from a distance it was easy to tell how much in love they were and how comfortable they were together. Once the prince disappeared inside, Dax-Ur turned to the man standing beside him, and said, "As you were saying, Mar-Ken…"


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Bad News

Mara rocketed across the sky, chasing the retreating night westward. The high velocity wind was damaging her dress, but that didn't matter to her, not now. The sealed package with the information about the families of her ladies weighed heavily on her heart, and she knew the uncertainty of what might have happened had to be driving her ladies to distraction. She intended to get to the castle as soon as she could manage and do whatever she could to relieve their stress…and then she hoped Richard could help her with her own.

The king's standard still flew over Sudbury Castle, a fact that pleased Mara both because she wouldn't have to spend any time searching for him, and because it meant she was that much closer to being folded within his embrace.

Wanting to keep the guards on the castle walls from trying to shoot her full of arrows, Mara landed well outside of the castle and walked up to the castle just after the drawbridge was lowered at the start of the castle's day. The guards on duty at the edge of the drawbridge knew the princess by sight, and one of their number ran into the castle to alert his sergeant. The sergeant stepped out onto the drawbridge, at least half sure his man was still hungover from the night before and was seeing things, but he recognized the princess also. He sent the first man farther into the castle to alert the castellan, while he himself bowed to Princess Mara and invited her to cross into the castle's courtyard.

Once the castellan got involved, things really began to happen. He sent a page to inform Mara's ladies, sent another to have the head housekeeper send a bevy of housemaids to the courtyard to help the princess while she waited. As for the king, the castellan knew that nothing would do but that he inform the king himself.

Mara could have gone on into the castle, as she was well familiar with it, but she chose instead to observe the etiquette of the situation and waited. First to arrive were the servants, as they were already hard at their morning chores. They led Mara into a small reception room, whereupon she was given hot, wet towels to clean her hands and face, and offered a meal. It was almost noontime back in Alemannia, and her stomach was ready for more food, but she decided to wait; she knew she'd have plenty of time to eat later, right now she had a duty.

Richard showed up next. He kept the servants in the room to shield Mara's honor, but he and Mara only paused a moment to drink in each other's appearance before crashing together in a furious kiss. When they finally parted, to the sound of tittering maids, Richard held her by the shoulders and moved back to arm's length to get a good look at her.

"You're back!" he said, rather unnecessarily. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," Mara said, "but I've only been gone a few days." Mara pushed her way forward for another kiss. "Think what might happen in the spring when I have to return home."

"That's months away. I prefer to think of the time we'll have together until then."

"At least we have a chance when spring comes."

"We do?" Richard asked. "How so?"

"Father hasn't said anything specific yet, but he doesn't seem to mind Kal-El's attachment to Lady Lana, so maybe he won't mind me bringing home a king."

"It's not me being a king he'll mind, Mara. You know that. It's the fact that I'm supposed to be your protector, not you suitor. It's rather improper for me to have fallen in love with you."

"Improper, maybe, but…while I was home, I remembered one of my earliest reactions to learning I was being sent here to Anglia."

"Oh? What was that?"

"That maybe my fatherwas _hoping _I'd attract you, as you were the only royal from a nearby kingdom that was both unattached and a potentially useful ally."

Richard leaned in for another kiss. "In that case, my love, you have succeeded…with flying colors."

Richard led Mara over to a pair of seats where they could sit comfortably while they chatted. He asked her about the main purpose of her trip home, finding out what had happened to the families of her ladies. Mara was just showing him the sealed packet and explaining how it was her duty to tell each girl the good or bad news, when the first of her hastily dressed ladies popped into the room.

"Here I go," Mara muttered, as she and the king stood.

"When you're done supporting your ladies, Mara," Richard said, "then it's my turn to support you. Know that I'll be here for you."

"Thank you, Richard. That means a lot to me."

Richard took his leave and within a very short time, all eight of Mara's ladies had joined her. It was then that she realized she couldn't tell all eight girls at once, because she had no idea how to comfort more than one girl at a time, and it was likely that more than one girl would need comforting. So, she set up an impromptu system, whereby she would see the ladies one at a time, starting with the lady with the most seniority, and ending with the newest member of her ladies-in-waiting.

Once she was done with a lady, the servants would notify the next one in line, while the one she had finished with would be sent on her way with the provision that she not see or speak with any of the girls who hadn't yet had their private meeting with her. Mara's purpose in ordering that was that she didn't want the girls who'd talked to her to be around the others who were waiting and inadvertently make the wait harder for them by telling what had happened. She did, however, fully expect the ladies who had already talked to her to cling to and comfort each other.

"Once I help you all I can," Mara explained, "you will need to help each other as I move on to the next girl. Then once I am finished with the last girl, we can all commiserate together. This is going to be one long, sad day for all of us. Even for those of us who lucked out."

The ladies all filed out except for one, and Mara opened the seal she had placed on the information she had been given. Looking inside, she found her people had assembled the information into eight smaller packets, one for each of her ladies, and had carefully labeled each one. It made it easier for Mara to not have to deal with the fates of all eight families all at once, and she smiled at the consideration her staff had shown for her difficult situation. Her guess was that her people had expected her to just hand out the smaller packets all at once - which was a simpler, less stressful way to do it - except Mara wasn't made that way. Her family didn't duck the hard choices, which she figured was one reason they ruled the kingdom instead of someone else.

Mara ended up spending most of the day giving out the news and then dealing with the consequences. The happy girls only took her a few minutes, and those were mostly spent on admonishing the girls to not rub their good fortune in the faces of the girls who _had _lost family members. But out of the first seven girls, three had suffered losses; two of the girls had each lost a brother, while the third had lost a brother and two close cousins. That just left one lady, the newest member of Mara's entourage, the shy and sweet Lady Elaine Ricard, who had met Kal-El in the royal garden of the summer palace the night he had left with Sir Bruce.

Holding up the last packet of information, Mara gestured for Elaine to take the seat opposite from where she herself was sitting. Mara was something of an emotional mess by this time, having spent hours crying with three of her girls before sending them to be comforted further by the others. She was _so_ looking forward to spending some time with Richard after this, but she had to hold on long enough to help one more girl.

"What have the results been so far, your Highness?" Elaine asked. "How many of the others have lost?"

Mara couldn't help but smile at Elaine's concern for her 'sisters,' even though she didn't yet know the fates of the people in her own family. That tender-hearted concern was so like the Elaine she'd come to know over the past several months. She decided then and there to take a personal hand in finding Elaine a proper husband if the men of Anglia somehow goofed up and didn't realize what a gem she was.

"Three of your 'sisters' have lost family members. Four, obviously, were lucky." Mara opened the packet. "Now it's your turn to find out." Mara read the packet silently, and nearly broke on the spot. Her lips quivered and her eyes filled with water before it began rolling down her cheeks in big, fat tears.

Elaine's eyes widened in fear, but she fought to control her voice, as she asked, "What happened, Princess Mara? Please tell me. I can take it."

Mara willed herself to stillness, but was having to fight her emotions with every fiber of her being. _This is going to devastate her. The poor kid. It's not even my family, and my heart is broken._

"There's no way around it, Elaine. Your family's losses were heavy."

Elaine sucked in a sob and held on.

Reading carefully, Mara said, "Lost were Count Paul Ricard, and his sons Lord Alphonse, Lord Etienne, and Lord Reynaud. All were lost in the Battle of Maiden's Pass."

"_All_ of them?" Elaine asked rhetorically. "_All?" _She began to fall apart in front of Mara's face as she tried to deal with the fact that her immediate family had just lost every single male member.

Mara was on Elaine in a flash, wrapping her in a powerful hug, knowing there were no words she could say to ease Elaine's pain, other than to get her to release it and start crying. "Let it go, Elaine. It's okay to cry; just let it out."

Elaine stared off into the unseeable distance for a while, and Mara kept up her gentle encouragement to give in to her feelings. Soon, Mara's unstinting kindness and love overcame Elaine's defenses, and the younger girl began to cry in big, wracking sobs, shuddering violently in Mara's embrace. The sobs then gave way to full-throated wailing, as the horror of the situation finally settled in: Elaine's father and all of her brothers were dead.

Mara held on to her own shaken emotions, knowing she had to be Elaine's rock at this moment and that she would continue to be so until Elaine gathered enough control of herself to rejoin the other seven girls. Then she herself could seek out Richard.

By the time Elaine had utterly exhausted herself through crying and Mara could assign a servant to put her straight to bed, Mara herself was worn out. She had dark circles under her bloodshot eyes, and her normally perfectly coiffed hair was all over the place. She sank back into her chair, wondering if she could muster the energy to go find the king, when he showed up at the door.

"Oh, _Richard…" _she sobbed as she stood in the presence of the king.

In mere moments he had her in his arms, whispering how it was going to be alright. Once she'd had a good cleansing cry and had herself back under control, she explained that half of her girls had lost loved ones, including Lady Elaine, who'd lost _everyone._ "She just has her mother left now." Then she sniffled and looked into Richard's eyes. "How'd you know when I was done? You sure got here awfully quickly."

"Servants have been giving me reports all day about your progress," the king admitted. "Once I knew you were on your last lady, I came down and waited next door, so I would be sure to be here the moment you needed me."

A beatific smile spread across Mara's tear-streaked face. "You are _so_ sweet to me." She then laid a deep kiss on her man. "Is it any wonder that I love you so much? I can barely wait to marry you."

"Marrying you sounds better and better, Mara," Richard grinned. "And if I'm sweet, it's only because of you. You've made changes in me during your few months here. I see things differently now, and…and there's finally someone in my life I care about more than myself." Richard gently caressed her cheek. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"May you never have to find out. But right now…" Mara eased her way out of his arms and drew herself up to her full height, "…now that you've soothed me, I have to go see to the rest of my ladies. My duty to them isn't over yet."

"Should I have food and drink sent to you and your ladies? Or will you be able to join us in the dining room? I worry about you. Your ladies all ate lunch at one time or another, but being busy down here, you managed to miss out."

Mara's stomach chose that moment to emit a most unladylike rumble.

"The last thing you need to worry about is the physical condition of a Kryptonian, Richard." She kissed him on the cheek to take away the sting of her mild rebuke. "But knowing someone is looking out for me is so comforting. As for the food, I'll send word if we're too distraught to be proper dinner companions. Otherwise, you may expect us for dinner."


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Knighthood

Once Lana chose the color and design of her coat of arms and had it approved by the Marshal of Alemannia, she had little else to do in preparation for her knighting ceremony until Sunday night, which was still a few days off. She did, however, have a couple of parties to attend, including the first of the many to which she and her family had been invited. That meant Kal-El lost his woman for the afternoon as she was scheduled to spend hours getting herself ready for her first major party in the capital. It also meant Sir Bruce lost _his_ woman for the afternoon, so he reluctantly reported to the prince.

Bruce stood at attention and formally saluted Kal-El, mostly since he was officially an officer in Kal-El's army. Kal-El rolled his eyes at that, choosing then to shake Bruce's hand instead of returning his salute. Once Bruce smiled and the two men reestablished their connection, Kal-El used the grip of their handshake to pull the older man into a crunching hug.

"Bruce, you scared the crap out of me, staying away for so long," Kal-El slapped Bruce on the back. "What happened?"

"Things got a little exciting is what happened. We went to your palace in Borussia, just as planned. I collected my back pay as an officer in your army, a princely sum I might add, and then we waited a few days to rest up our horses while I waited for your tailor to make a few dress uniforms for me. All going according to plan." The two men moved over to a small bar in the room and made themselves a pair of drinks. After Bruce took a first sip, he continued. "On the way here, the going was slow as we kept running into troops on the main roads. It seems they were former prisoners of war who were returning home. We ended up taking several smaller roads to avoid the troops…and ran smack into a highway robbery."

"For real? I thought those had mostly gone the way of the dodo bird."

"Mostly, but not completely. Anyway, it was an ornate carriage of an older style, and the men trying to guard it were quickly being overwhelmed by the robbers. We didn't take time to think much; we just drew swords and charged. We were moving downhill and caught them by surprise and in a matter of minutes, had either killed or driven off the robbers."

They'd cut down a large number of the robbers, but hadn't been in time to save any of the guards. The worst part for Bruce and the ten soldiers traveling with them was that they'd lost four of their own men in the vicious little fight. Two died outright and two more died of their wounds later that day.

"We'd planned on escorting the carriage to the nearest large town so they could report the attack to the local polizei, but the old woman wouldn't let us go. Once she found out we were headed for the palace, she insisted we had to escort her and her ladies all the way."

"That's my grandmother," Kal-El informed Bruce.

"Well…no _wonder_ she thinks she's special," Bruce said disgustedly. "We ended up carrying their trunks every night and every day from the carriage to the inns at which we stayed. We just weren't commandeered as guards…oh no…we also became her impromptu footmen.

"And given how late those ladies started every morning, and how early they stopped every night, we traveled at a snail's pace." Bruce cleared his throat and spat in a brass spittoon. "It's a wonder we ever _got_ here."

"Well…saving my Grandma's life, or at least keeping her from being kidnapped, is worth quite a lot to me. My parents may even reward you for it, even though neither one seems to be able to tolerate Grandma all that well, because family is family and it wouldn't do for the king and queen to appear to be ungrateful.

"Now for the important part," Kal-El grinned. "How is Lady Lois?"

The near scowl Bruce had been sporting as he related his trials with Kal-El's melted into a smile. "Lady Lois is as fine as she ever was. I _believe _she even fancies me somewhat." Bruce sounded ineffably pleased, and Kal-El decided to leave alone for now the question of love between his mentor and his own lady's sister. _Time enough to pursue that question later._

The parties leading up to Lana's knighting were good ways for the Lang girls to be integrated into the social scene of the winter palace. Kal-El didn't attend the parties with Lana, though he did attend and spend _some_ time with her. Mostly though, he hung out with his friends and allowed Lana to spread her wings and develop her own relationships. As most thought, Lois and Alicia also blossomed at the parties as many younger nobles rushed to make acquaintances of the family that was so much in favor with the royal family.

Soon enough, it was Sunday, and Kal-El asked Lana whether she'd prefer to attend services in the private family chapel in the palace, or in town at the cathedral. When Lana asked to go into town, Kal-El alerted the commander of the Royal Household Guard. By the time Lana was ready, an enormous gilded royal coach waited for them at the formal entrance to the palace, along with a guard of forty knights in gleaming armor. As far as Kal-El knew, it was going to be the first time in recent memory that anyone from the royal family had gone into town for Sunday services.

Lana blanched when she saw the trouble everyone had gone to just so she and Kal could attend church together. She would have turned around and stayed in the palace, except everyone had already done the work to get ready, so she might as well make use of their efforts.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me I was causing a problem?" Lana asked Kal, once they were underway.

"Problem? What problem?"

Lana then explained she was embarrassed that so many people had been put out just so she could go to church in town.

"That's nonsense, Lana," Kal-El replied. "The whole purpose of the knights and other soldiers that reside here as part of the Royal Household Guard is to make sure we can go anywhere we want, whenever we want. The horses need the exercise, and as for this carriage…well, it's part of keeping up the royal image."

"The royal image?"

"Oh yes. The people expect us to behave in a manner that matches their preconceived notions of what royalty should be like. They expect their king and his family to be grand. It seems to make them feel better about their own lives, when their king and queen are such splendid people." Before she could say anything, Kal-El hastened to add, "I know, it doesn't make any sense, but it works. People will talk about seeing you and me in the royal box at the cathedral for _weeks."_

When Crown Prince Kal-El walked down the center aisle with an unknown lady at his side, shocked murmurs spread all over the congregation, building into a hushed roar before Kal-El and Lana took their seats. Then another murmur spread, starting at the back of the nave and rolling forward. This one was filled with rumor and speculation about just who it was that was seated at the prince's side.

The rumors turned out to be surprisingly accurate as they had been started by the palace handmaid that had ridden along with Kal-El and Lana for the express purpose of protecting her reputation. Necks were stretched all service long as the parishioners tried to catch glimpses of both Crown Prince Kal-El and the Battle Maiden, the famous Lady Lana Lang.

Lana was thankful for royal prerogative that day, as she and Kal-El were allowed out of their special box seat before anyone else could leave their seats. That allowed them to make their escape without having to deal with a press of people she didn't know. That day, Lana was under instruction to eat well, especially at the evening meal, as she wouldn't be allowed to eat or drink anything once the meal was over as it would be time for her to begin fasting in preparation for her knighting ceremony the next day.

But first up was Lana's all-night vigil. Just when everyone else was turning in for the evening, Lana was to take a ritual bath, which was emblematic of her sins being washed away. But before the bath, Kal-El had claimed a very personal, very special part of the evening's preparations for himself: the putting of Lana's luxurious hair into a warrior's triple braid.

She'd been surprised at first, and then very pleased, as she'd sat before her love and waited while his hands deftly braided her hair. First, he'd started a braid at the top of the back of her head that went straight down her skull until it reached the nape of her neck. Then he'd made two more braids, each of which had started directly behind an ear and had gone sideways, heading directly for the nape of her neck. At that point, all three braids joined together into one large braid which headed straight down again until it petered out at mid-back.

"There, Lana! All done. A proper warrior's braid and no one can say _you_ haven't earned the right to wear the hairstyle."

Lana had checked the look in a smallish mirror right away and then turned to hug Kal-El for his efforts. She also snuck in as many kisses as she could before being ruthlessly led away by her maids so she could bathe.  
Once the bath was done, Lana dressed, but was only allowed to wear a pair of heavy winter shifts this night. The shifts were brightest white, signifying her purity and chastity, and she was to spend her night fasting and praying for grace and holy guidance as she took up her new position as a knight.

She was then led to the palace's chapel by a small procession that included her knightly sponsor - her father - and a number of other knights. As Lana approached the altar, her bare feet slapping softly on the cold flagstones, she saw her armor, weapons, and clothing piled up there, and watched it as her father gave her the charge to watch over and defend her belongings as she prayed that night. Then the men all marched out, the door was slammed shut, and Lana was left with nothing more than flickering candlelight to keep her company.

Lana gave prayers of thanks for the way her family had been protected during the war. She spent time on her knees asking for the wisdom, patience, and strength she'd need as Kal's wife, princess, and eventually queen. But Lana didn't find what she was looking for until she changed the focus of her prayers and prayed that God's will would be done in her life. Once she dedicated herself to being what He wanted her to be, she found an inner peace that sustained her through hunger pangs and nearly frozen hands and feet.

The next morning, her sisters came down and dressed her. She soon had on her boots, leather pants, an undershirt followed by a quilted shirt to be worn under the armor. Then came her chain mail shirt which was topped off with a brand new tabard which had been made with her new coat of arms on it: golden cloth topped with a purple tiger mounted over two crossed purple daggers. As the tabard was cinched in place with a plain leather belt, Lana looked at the way it hung just to her knees, and then eyed the shield that had been made for just this occasion. Like her tabard, the shield was emblazoned with her coat of arms. She didn't have a sword, but she did have her two daggers sheathed and ready at her waist. A sword and spurs would be hers once she was knighted.

Lana didn't have long to wait for her sword and spurs. Once she was fully dressed, her father walked in, dressed in his own armor and regalia, and had his breath taken away by the sight of his smallest daughter dressed in such a martial way. "I'd always dreamed of a day like this with a son," Lewis admitted, "but to finally have it with you is just…"

"Yeah, I know, Father," Lana said, "I'm pretty amazed by all this, too."

Lewis led Lana from the chapel to the throne room where the king and queen were on their thrones, and where a small crowd of family and friends waited as witnesses.

"In the normal course of events, Lady Lana," King Jor-El said, "this knighting would be one of many and would be conducted with great celebrations worthy of your new state in life, but everyone here knows this is being done quickly in preparation for the other ceremony next Friday. I promise we'll make up for the lack of celebration then."

The king then asked the ritual question. "Who sponsors this woman to become a knight?"

Lord Lewis stepped forward, and with pride shining in his eyes, said, "I do, Sire."

Lana then walked forward to a pre-designated distance from the king before dropping to her knees where she vowed to: be brave, speak only the truth, be loyal to her lord, be devoted to the church, and be charitable and defend the poor and helpless. The king then signaled for her to rise. A page came forward with a pair of golden spurs and affixed them to the heels of her sturdy boots. Next, Lady Irilta took the place of Lana's long-dead mother and placed a wide, white leather sword belt around her waist, before cinching it fairly tightly. Last, her father stepped forward and hooked a scabbarded short sword onto the left hip of her white belt.

Lana had practiced this ceremony several times over the past few days. At this point, she drew her sword and laid it across the palms of her gauntleted hands before kneeling once more and placing her sword at the feet of king: a ritual offering of her service to the monarch. The king rose then and grasped his own sword, which was handed to him by an officer of the court.

Jor-El then said, "In the name of God…" and tapped her on one shoulder, "…and in the name of the kingdom of Alemannia…" he tapped her other shoulder, "…I now dub thee Sir Lana of Roskilde." He finished by tapping the top of her head. "Rise and be recognized."

Lana stood once more, picked up her sword and stuck it back in her scabbard and faced the small but select audience, which broke out into spontaneous cheers. Besides her family and the few friends she'd already made, she saw her Kal standing there, as he'd chosen to stand behind her this morning instead of taking a seat on the dais.

After that was a lunchtime feast for those few in attendance. Lana hadn't eaten in roughly eighteen hours, and she was famished. Lana was seated in the place of honor and spent almost as much time accepting congratulations from those present as she did eating. Kal-El finally had to move to his lady's rescue and forbid any more talk until she was done with her meal. Once she'd sated her hunger, he asked, "So what's it like to be Sir Lana?"

She looked at the beef in front of her and giggled. "Better than being Sir Loin."

That terrible pun earned her a look of disbelief from Kal-El before he gave in and began to chuckle. "And I guess being a knight makes you eligible now to marry the second daughters of some of the lesser lords."

"Mmm…get me a wife you say? Definitely not what I was looking for."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I have my eyes set on this one man, maybe you know him, called Sir Clark of Kent."

"Ah! Sir Clark…I _do_ know him very well, and happen to know he has no problem with being part of the first knight-knight marriage in the history of the kingdom." Kal-El took Lana's hand in his, grateful she'd taken off her gauntlets to eat. "With luck and a little persuasion, I think that marriage may take place as early as the end of summer."

"You've got to get the king to say yes first though," Lana reminded him.

"I know, and that's the strange thing: no one in my family will mention word one about whether or not they intend to allow us to marry. If I bring up the subject, it immediately gets changed to something else. I don't know what to make of it."

"Well…after that anvil you told me you dropped on your mother the other day, I think they have little choice but to give in. Just give them time, Dear."

Kal-El kissed the back of Lana's hand. "As you wish, my Love. As you wish."


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter 81

The Order of the Dragon

Lana marveled at the fact that she was a knight. Golden spurs on her boots, her very own coat of arms, even a sword and shield of her own. It was a lot for her to take in, but that night, she had her maids put her armor, weapons, and various accoutrements away…at least until Friday. That was the day the king would honor her hard work and sacrifice by making her a member of the Order of the Dragon. _One more day of dressing like a man, _Lana thought. _One more day of pretending to be a real knight. I know the difference. I've seen my father's knights train, and I saw Kal train with Sir Bruce. I could never do that._

Though she had no illusions about her knighthood, Lana could now be referred to as either Lady Lana or Sir Lana, and each was equally correct. Lana preferred hearing 'lady,' which had been a major impetus behind her decision to put away her knightly clothing, armor, and weapons.

During the few days between Lana's Monday morning knighting and her Friday installment in the Order of the Dragon, King Jor-El started the process of rewarding his friends and punishing his enemies. The lords who'd actively aided Zod's forces were stripped of their lands, incomes, and titles and given until spring to leave the kingdom with their remaining possessions and wealth.

Lords who'd stayed neutral were forced to pay heavy fines under the theory that since other families had paid the blood cost of the war, the do-nothings could pay the gold cost.

Finally, the lords who had loyally supported the king during the rebellion were given promotions and had their financial costs repaid. That included the 500,000+ in gold Kal-El had paid from his ducal bank account to fund the supply base for the army.

The new Count of Albemarle, successor to the deceased Lord Howland, was promoted to become the new Duke of Walachia in Dru-Zod's place. Normally, a duchy would be reserved for a Kryptonian family, but the king wanted to show that loyalty and service were more important than blood.

The promotion of the Howland family left the countship of Albemarle open, along with several others. So when it was time for Lord Lewis Lang to make the choice of which countship he wanted, he chose Albemarle. It was close to his current home in Roskilde which meant a short move and a similar climate, and as the Count of Albemarle was the superior of the Baron of Roskilde, it would allow him to make sure the new baron didn't mistreat the people of Roskilde.

But the promotion that caused the most discussion, the one that seemingly came from out of the blue, was one of the last promotions of the day. Jor-El had started by filling the duchies that had come open and then the counties and ended with the baronies. Most of those went to second sons of loyal nobles, giving them a chance to establish cadet branches of the family line.

But one barony, that of Roskilde to be precise, was _not_ given to a young noble. The behind-the-scenes maneuvering by the crown prince combined with the queen's feeling of an obligation to reward the man who'd helped save her mother's life - no matter how much she disliked her mother - and who'd successfully protected her son, to push the king into giving that barony to a shellshocked Sir Bruce Wayne.

Bruce had been so against attending the day-long promotion ceremony that Kal-El had finally been forced to resort to _ordering_ Bruce to dress up in one of the green and gold full-dress Borussian uniforms he'd had made recently and show up at the ceremony as his personal aide. And when he'd heard his own name called, Bruce had refused to believe it, which had forced Kal-El to give him a hard shove in the back to make him walk out in front of the dais. After that, Bruce had been in a complete daze as he gave a formal oath to serve the king and his feudal superiors, protect his people, and obey the laws of the kingdom.

The Langs were still present, and all were happy for Sir Bruce. But one member of the family was particularly pleased. Lady Lois' eyes were shining as she witnessed the man she had come to love joining the ranks of the nobility. She knew this changed everything for them. A baron was a real possibility for her, and she could only hope Bruce took advantage of his new station in life.

She needn't have worried.

Bruce was astonished by his sudden elevation in life, but as everyone was beginning to leave the just concluded ceremony, Kal-El brought him back to Earth by teasing him about being out of uniform.

"Huh?" Bruce replied.

"Oh yeah. You can't wear the green and gold of Borussia any more, Bruce. You've got your own army now." Kal-El eyed his friend critically. "In fact, I don't even know what your colors are or what your coat of arms looks like."

"My colors are red and black," Bruce said. He'd just seen the Langs about to leave the throne room, so his interest in Kal-El had just slipped a bit. "Can we talk about this later, Kal-El? I, uh…have some business that needs taking care of right now."

Kal-El graciously excused Bruce and watched as he hurried after the Langs. He knew Bruce would have to deal with Lewis, as the older man was now his direct feudal superior, but his suspicion was that feudal obligations were the last thing on Bruce's mind at the moment.

"Sir Bruce!" Lewis said, when he saw the Dark Knight approach. "But that's not correct anymore, is it? It's Lord Wayne now. Congratulations on that. Lois has been telling me how deserved your elevation is, and after hearing all you've done, I'm inclined to agree with her."

The three Lang girls stopped behind their father and watched. Lois was barely able to restrain herself from launching herself into Bruce's arms and smothering him with kisses. Lana and Alicia now knew just how false Bruce's reputation as the Dark Knight truly was, and they watched with some interest as they knew just how close Bruce and Lois had become.

"Lord Wayne," Bruce chuckled upon hearing himself say the words. "That sounds so funny. Like a bad joke played upon me by my fellow knights when I was younger. But now that it's true, I need to make the best of it." Bruce paused, smiled hopefully at Lois, and then returned his attention to her father. "Could you and I talk alone? I have some important matters to discuss with you, Lord Lang."

Lewis waved off his girls, and allowed himself to be guided away by Bruce for their talk. Later that afternoon, Lewis found his girls again and pulled Lois aside for an earnest chat.

"I'm given to understand that you and the newly created Baron of Roskilde have formed a strong attachment," Lewis asked. "Is this true?"

Lois nodded her head, and said, "Yes it is, Father."

"Would you like to marry Lord Wayne? Will he suit you?"

Lois' face blossomed at the suggestion of marriage. Lewis didn't need to hear a word to know her answer, but she gave him one anyway, once she got her excitement under control. "Nothing would please me more. I would be the happiest of women to become Lady Wayne."

"I can see that you mean that, Lois. And since Bruce has just asked me for your hand, it will be my privilege to tell him I consent."

Lois took in a deep, shuddering breath and held it. She knew Bruce was a man of action, but she hadn't expected him to make a move so soon. It hadn't been long ago that Lois was thinking she might not ever find someone to marry. She'd been worried that her tomboy ways had turned off too many potential suitors, only to end up stumbling into the one man who was able to take her as she was and to love her.

Thus it was that Lord Lang stood at dinner that night and proudly announced the betrothal of his eldest daughter, Lady Lois, to the newly-created Baron of Rosklide, Lord Bruce Wayne. Lana and Alicia squealed with happiness for their sister, while most of the rest of the people in the room applauded politely and resumed their meals.

While that night belonged to Lois, Friday was Lana's day. According to her father that morning, the few remaining nobles of major rank who hadn't been in town yet this season had made appearances at the palace during the last few days before retiring to their winter mansions in town.

"The king has let it be known that this is a major occasion," Lewis said, "sort of the last celebration of his victory over Zod's rebels, so the lords that supported the king will all be here to enjoy themselves, and the lords that didn't actively support the king will be anxious to be here now and show their support."

"So…the throne room will be packed today," Lana replied.

"Oh yes." Lewis gave Lana a small, secretive smile. "I may even receive more quiet inquiries about your availability."

Hearing that people had been asking about her alarmed Lana a little bit. "I hope you've told any other askers that someone else is first in line, last in line, and everywhere else in between."

"I _have, _Lana, I have," Lewis chuckled, "but that doesn't stop newcomers from asking. None of them quite believe the king will allow you to marry into the royal family, so they try to position their sons for what they see as your inevitable rejection."

"That's _nice." _Lana said, her voice rife with sarcasm. She could see their point, but it didn't make her hate it less than she already did. It was something she couldn't control, so she tried to put it out of her mind as she prepared for the induction ceremony. She knew from practice sessions during the week that the ceremony itself wasn't very long, and that she would be required to say very little, but that didn't do much to calm her nerves as Lana knew she'd be on display in front of most of the major noble families of Alemannia.

Just like on the previous Sunday evening when she'd been preparing for her knighting ceremony, Lana came down from her rooms long enough for her beloved Kal-El to braid her hair in a small room just out of the women's wing. A couple of loving kisses later, and Lana was on her way, back up to her suite to dress.

Once again, she was dressed in her armor and weapons. This time, she wore her gold tabard with the purple tiger and crossed daggers over the top of her chain mail shirt and her golden spurs were affixed to the heels of her sturdy boots. She was beginning to get used to wearing leather pants like a man, and wasn't sure that was a good thing because she was modest and wasn't comfortable showing the shape of her legs. She took comfort, however, in knowing that her tabard kept most of her leather pants from view.

Once she was dressed and ready, Lana headed to the palace chapel to pray while she waited for the palace servants to inform her the ceremony was ready to start. It was mid-afternoon before the everything was set. Lana was brought down to an anteroom just off the throne room where she met the only four members of the Order of the Dragon who were young enough and healthy enough to make the trip to the capital city in winter.

All four were in their sixties, and Lana recognized every name because they were in the histories of Alemannia that she had studied as a child. Each man she met had done something that had changed the course of Alemanni history. It was the first time she had realized just how big her actions during the war really were. _I'm going to be in every history of Alemannia that is written from this point forward, _Lana thought. _My name will go down in history with Sir Gunther of Lorne, and Lord Karl Mueller of Ostfalen…this is too much._

Lana nearly fainted, but managed to sit down and catch her breath as the old heroes gathered around her and congratulated her for what she had done. All said much the same thing: that they had never expected a woman to become a knight, much less join their royal order, but that her bravery and determination had earned her the accolades, no matter what anyone else said.

So it was that when Lana entered the throne room, which was chock full of noble guests, she was flanked by the four older men who were also fully garbed as for war. The men were each half a foot taller than Lana, at the very least, but the other major difference in their appearances compared to hers was that each man wore a heavy cloth-of-gold cloak on his back and a thick, jewel-encrusted gold chain that was draped around his neck and hung halfway down his chest.

The steps of all five knights were slow and measured, and they all stopped at the pre-designated spot just in front of the dais. The knights then removed their swords and knelt to lay the them on the ground as a symbol of their service to the crown. The knights stayed on their knees then, but they didn't have long to wait. A booming voice that could be heard in every corner of the room called out: "Who brings this knight before the crown to claim admittance into the Order of the Dragon?"

Lana didn't have to look to know who was voicing the ritual challenge; it was the voice she heard every night in her dreams. Kal-El had a role to play today, and thus was not able to stand behind her in support. He was dressed in full plate armor, this one was a fancy suit of armor more suited to ceremonies than battles as it was coated with white enamel and had the edge of each plate rimmed with gold. Over that armor went a tabard of solid white with a large golden dragon on the chest. Kal-El had always looked large to Lana, comfortingly so at times, but with his armor on he looked positively_ huge._

The eldest of the four dragon knights that were present spoke up in a clear, commanding voice. "We do. Sir Lana embodies all that Alemanni chivalry strives to be. Her actions during the recent rebellion saved the lives of thousands of soldiers, and likely saved the king and the rest of the royal family, too, and thus we find her to be the perfect candidate to join us."

"Rise then, Sir Lana," Kal-El said, "and receive your honors."

Lana stood as Kal-El stepped to one side to allow his mother to walk down the steps of the dais and accept another cloth-of-gold cloak from a servant before draping the cloak over Lana's shoulders and fastening it around her neck.

"We are indebted to you. Your courage and fortitude are shining examples to Alemanni of _both_ sexes. May you always be worthy of their veneration."

The queen then returned to her throne, but remained standing as Jor-El walked down off the dais and picked up a heavy, jewel-encrusted gold chain from a servant who immediately withdrew.

"An invitation to join the Order of the Dragon is not given lightly, Sir Lana. It is the highest honor We can bestow." Jor-El raised the gold chain and draped it around Lana's neck, allowing the bottom of the chain to hang down almost to her breasts. Then he spoke in a softer, kinder voice meant only for her to hear. "All that We have We owe to you, Sir Lana. You will find that We are not ungrateful." Then his voice regained its strength. "Turn and face the people, Sir Lana, and receive the accolade due to the newest dragon knight."

Jor-El stepped back to his position on the dais, and Lana turned toward the overflow crowd in the throne room. With her armor, weapons, tabard, and now her cloak and gold chain, she was weighed down rather heavily, but it was a weight she could manage for a while yet. Right on cue, when she faced the crowd, the applause began somewhere behind her and quickly spread to everyone in the room until it rose like thunder.

There were certain ceremonial duties that went with being a dragon knight, but most important was that Lana was now a symbol of national importance: she was a living reminder of what one person could do in the right time and place, and that the kingdom was more important than any one life.

When the applause and the cheers finally died away, Lana led the procession of the dragon knights out of the throne room. After a quick round of congratulations from the other knights and thanks from Lana, she was whisked away to begin her preparations for the grand gala that would take up the entire evening: a massive feast in the State Dining Room which was to be followed by the first royal ball of the season in the Grand Ballroom which was just down the hall from the dining room.

Lana's maids worked furiously to transform their lady from martial splendor to a model of feminine perfection. To help them toward that goal, Kal-El had sent a number of his sister's maids down to help in any way they could. He knew Mara would kill to be here for this ball, but figured she would be almost as happy to have her maids play a role.

Some things couldn't be hurried though; Lana's one saving grace was that the party really couldn't start without her. Still, she didn't want to keep the king and queen waiting, so after her body had been cleaned and perfumed, one set of women worked on her hair, while others concentrated on getting her dressed. Lana was anxious the whole time, sure she was holding things up, but when she scurried downstairs with her hair in long, spiral curls and wearing the new golden gown provided by the royal dressmakers, she found she was a bit early.

Not early enough to beat Kal-El though. When she was directed to the room where all of the people sitting at the head table would collect before entering the State Dining Room together, she found several people ready and waiting, including the crown prince. Kal-El quickly claimed her arm and then led her around the room, making sure she was introduced to everyone she hadn't already met. Kal-El's slightly possessive attitude won him a number of smiles from those people he knew well, as they could tell he was enthralled with Lady Lana. Once the round of introductions was over, no one intruded on Kal-El's privacy, but they kept their eyes on the prince and his lady.

Everyone who saw Kal-El in his white and gold uniform and Lana in her golden gown noticed how well they went together. They moved with the ease of two people who were well-used to each other, but with no one in the small room knowing of their intense history, they just looked like a natural couple.

As the set time for the meal approached, Lana began to wonder where her father was. Kal-El was having the same worries about his parents, as it wasn't like them to show up at the last minute for an important occasion like this one. He used a quick burst of his x-ray vision to check the dining room and could see it was nearly full. Just as Kal-El prepared to send a servant to see if his parents were having any trouble, in they walked. The strange thing was that Lana's father walked in right behind them.

"What could they be talking about _today?" _Lana asked.

"Maybe you're getting another honor today," Kal-El guessed. "Though I have no idea what it could be."

Once the king and queen entered the room, things happened quickly. Lana went to her father to ask what was going on, but all he would say was that he'd had some last minute business to attend to.

Nonplussed by her father's incomplete answer, Lana returned to Kal-El just in time for the seneschal to begin getting people into line behind the king and queen. Each couple would be introduced as they entered, and then they'd split to sit on either side of the royal couple at the head table. With Kal-El and Lana placed in line right behind the king and queen, that would place Lana to the king's right and Kal-El to his mother's left. Lana was pleased to see her father right behind her, which meant he would be sitting on her right during the meal. Once everyone was in order, the procession began. When the king and queen were introduced and entered the State Dining Room, everyone in the room stood.

The next couple was introduced as, "The guest of honor, Sir Lana of Roskilde and her escort, Crown Prince Kal-El."

It took only a couple of minutes for the guests at the head table to be introduced, and then the king and queen took their seats, which allowed everyone else to sit also. The meal was served the instant everyone sat, and Lana found it to be the best she'd eaten in her time here in the palace. Everything seemed to be done just to her liking, which it had been, and she was enjoying it enormously.

Sitting between her father and the king was more enjoyable than she had thought possible, too. Her father didn't try to monopolize her conversationally, and the king actually seemed to be making a concerted effort to get to know her better on a personal level. This was rapidly becoming one of Lana's favorite days in the palace; she couldn't imagine what could possibly make it any better.

And then the king called for the dessert course.

The servants scurried in like worker ants, removing the previous course and laying out the desserts. No one ate though, as each course remained untouched until the king took his first bite. This time, once the servants withdrew, something curious happened, something that drew Kal-El's attention and let him know something strange was going on.

The servants came back in and began pouring glasses of chilled champagne for every person in the room. Kal-El knew that was generally saved at banquets for formal toasts. The wine served with desserts was almost always a sweet dessert wine. Curious, he asked his mother what was going on, but she just smiled and pretended ignorance, which only served to irritate her son.

Once the champagne was poured and the servants left again, the king stood and took his champagne glass with him, but signaled for everyone else to stay in their seats. Kal-El figured this meant his father was going to toast Lana, which was a nice gesture, but totally unnecessary as the entire banquet and the ball to follow were in her honor.

"Today, we are gathered here to honor a young woman of uncommon bravery and determination. Sir Lana is a shining example of what we should strive to be as individuals…_but,_ her actions during the war are not what I'm here to discuss right now.

"Instead, I want to talk about _Lady_ Lana, her future…and the future of my son." The mention of the crown prince's future sent a murmur through the crowd, and caused Kal-El and Lana to lean forward in their seats and look at each other in confusion. "Crown Prince Kal-El, my son, met Lady Lana during the rebellion when he was pretending to be nothing but a squire and he thought she was nothing more than a stable girl."

The crowd tittered at the thought of the prince playing at being a squire and wondered just how he'd ever thought such a lovely young woman could have been a stable girl. Kal-El and Lana both turned red as they remembered that fateful first meeting.

"By dinner of that first day, each had stolen the other's interest, and from that point on, no one else had a chance." By this time, both Kal-El and Lana were beginning to allow themselves to hope for what the rest of the diners already believed was coming. "So today, I'm asking my wife and Lady Lana's father to attend me and help make official what these two young people recognized months ago in a small manor house on the outskirts of Varshova: that they belong together, now and forever more."

Queen Lara and Lord Lewis stood and moved to either side of the king. Kal-El was silently pounding his fist onto the table and biting his lower lip as tears welled up in his eyes. Lana was in a state of shock. She sat there hoping the king would choose to repeat what he'd just said as she was sure she had misheard him.

Lara held out her hand toward her son, and Kal-El accepted it as he rose from his chair. Lewis held Lana's chair and pulled it back for her before holding out his hand. When she hesitated to take it, he leaned down and said quietly, "It's happening, Lana. It's _real._ This is the day when dreams come true. All you have to do is take my hand."

Afraid to move, as if she would somehow break the spell she was under, Lana finally stretched out her hand and clasped her father's before standing. Her lower lip was quivering now and her eyes were as full of tears as Kal-El's were.

"It is now my pleasure to officially betroth my son, Crown Prince Kal-El, to Lady Lana Lang," Jor-El said.

The king stepped back and Lara and Lewis moved side by side, dragging their children along with them, before placing Lana's dainty hand face down into Kal-El's upturned one. It wasn't until Kal-El's fingers curled around her hand that Lana truly believed…and as they turned to each other and Lana collapsed into Kal-El's arms, the king raised his glass.

The entire crowd rose as one, and then the king said, "A toast! To my son, and to his future queen. May God bless their union as He has blessed my own."

And the crowd thundered its reply. "To the prince and his future queen." Glasses of champagne were being drained all over the State Dining Room by all but two people.

Kal-El and Lana didn't care about the champagne, couldn't even _remember_ it existed. All they knew was fierce hugging, heartfelt crying, and passionate kissing. And then, when the kissing was over at long last, they were laughing. The pressure was off, the victory was theirs, and now they could truly enjoy each other without worry for the first time since the boy first loved the girl.


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Shall We Dance?

Once the royal betrothal was announced and the toast was made, everyone sat down and tucked into the dessert course. Even Kal-El and Lana ate, though they had no idea what they'd eaten, or what it had tasted like. They'd been _far_ too busy leaning forward and sharing helpless smiles with each other to be expected to notice what they were eating.

When the dessert course was finally over, as determined at the whim of King Jor-El, he and Queen Lara stood, to begin the procession from the State Dining Room to the Grand Ballroom. They walked around opposite ends of the head table and met in the center before walking hand-in-hand down the center of the room toward the wide double doors at the far end.

Normally, Kal-El would go next and single out some predetermined girl to be his escort for the long ceremonial walk to the ballroom. It was a politically-motivated choice, one made always made by his parents, but now that he was betrothed, the choice was already made…permanently so. From now on, his escort for _every_ formal event was his bride-to-be, Lady Lana Lang.

So the moment the king and queen began to walk down the length of the dining room, Kal-El winked at Lana and gestured with his head toward his receding parents, as if to say, _Come on, it's our turn now._ Lana got the hint, and they stood as one. Kal-El walked one way and Lana the other, with them repeating the actions of the king and queen by meeting in front of the middle of the head table, linking arms, and heading toward the distant ballroom.

It was their first time together since the unexpected betrothal, but they were on public view, so they managed to limit their display of affection to a simple change from linked arms to held hands. What they didn't know was the way they seemed to glow as they walked.

Lana was _particularly_ luminescent, as everything she'd ever dreamed about as a child had just come true. Like many very young noble ladies, she'd once dreamed of marrying a prince and living in a palace, but as she'd grown older and come to understand a bit about the politics of noble marriages, and royal marriages in particular, she'd let that childish dream go. And now the dream was back in full force, only it was no longer just a dream.

_In a matter of months I, Lana Elizabeth Lang, will be marrying my very own charming prince…or is that Prince Charming like in the old bedtime stories?…_Lana giggled…_All that's left will be the 'happily ever after' part. I think Kal and I can manage that._

Kal-El just had a silly grin on his face, as if to announce he was the luckiest man in the world. Internally, he was challenging any man present to be half as happy as he was at that very moment. _Mine! I can't believe she's really mine, _Kal-El thought. _The warmest heart, smartest brain, and most beautiful appearance all in one woman and she's mine. I am sooooo happy._

The diners were noticing how truly in love the young couple was, while some of the more mercenary adults in the crowd had already making some quick calculations and had realized that Lord Lang's third daughter was suddenly of great interest. The eldest had just recently been betrothed to the newly-created Baron of Roskilde, who was in turn well-known to be a close friend of the crown prince. And now Lord Lang's second daughter had just been made the second most powerful woman in the kingdom. It was clear as good glass to those mercenary adults that many powerful families would be fighting during the next several years for the chance to marry one of their sons to the last Lang daughter, as she would be a conduit to the ear of the next king.

But that was for future days. Lady Alicia was still only fifteen, and blissfully unaware of the storm that would soon build around her. She'd long since put away her early feelings for Kal-El, and was crying with joy at the sight of Lana and her prince and how happy they were. In fact, she was so happy for Lana's romantic success, that she hadn't quite realized her sister would be the next queen. Her thoughts flitted briefly to Prince Harold off in distant Varshova, and she wondered if he still thought of her. She hadn't received a letter from him yet, but they hadn't been at the palace very long, so she thought maybe a letter from him was still finding it's way to her.

As for Lois, she sort of knew Lana had just been betrothed, but that was all she noticed. She'd spent the night cozying up with Bruce well down on the other end of the dining room. As one of the lowest ranking nobles, Bruce received one of the seats farthest away from the head table, but that suited him and his soon-to-be bride just fine. Googly eyes weren't their thing, but subtle touches and glances were, and anyone who'd taken the time to observe them would have known they were in love, just like the prince and his lady.

As Kal-El and Lana made their way down the center of the room, other couples on the head table paired up and followed the crown prince in strict order of rank. Once Lana and Kal-El crossed the connecting hallway and entered the Grand Ballroom, they moved off to one side, with Lana craning her neck to take in the beauties of the ballroom, while Kal turned toward her to take in _her_ beauty.

Lana had been in the ballroom once before, but that night, only one chandelier had been lit, and the room hadn't been prepared for any sort of gathering. Now, though, all three chandeliers were lit and the fireplaces lining the room were blazing brightly. The parquet flooring had been waxed and polished until it gleamed, and Lana could see a balcony at one side in the center of the room that was where the musicians would play. All of that went straight out of her mind though when she saw her father walk into the ballroom in the company of a woman she did not know.

"_Who _is that woman with my father?" Lana asked. "He's barely been named to the position of the Count of Albemarle, and already the sharks are swarming." She knew he'd not had any close calls with marriage after Alicia's mother had died; now she wondered if that was because of a lack of interest or a lack of suitable prospects.

"I don't know," Kal-El replied. He waved a hand and a servant hurried to his side. A few whispered words sent the servant off, only to return a few moments later with the desired information. "Her name's Lady Lydia Von Jungen. She's apparently the widow of the Baron of Goteborg, and since her son's the new baron, there's no worry for her as far as material support goes." He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe they just enjoy each other's company…or maybe neither one had an escort for tonight and the royal staff made the arrangements."

Once the head table was clear, the rest of the diners stood and followed the same path into the ballroom. Soon, the walls of the ballroom were lined with hundreds of celebrants, all of whom were waiting for the king and queen to signal the start of the ball by performing the first dance together.

But this day was not the king's day, and he knew it better than anyone. King Jor-El and Queen Lara walked out to the middle of the ballroom and gestured for quiet. The room fell quiet in very little time, and the king spoke loudly to make sure everyone heard what he had to say. "My lords and ladies, we are all here to honor the elevation of our first female knight to the Order of the Dragon, and now have extra reason to celebrate as I have just betrothed that very same knight to my son. Thus it is my very great privilege to yield the floor for the first dance to my son and his bride-to-be, Crown Prince Kal-El and Lady Lana Lang."

Surprised once more on this night of nights, Kal-El and Lana recovered quickly and walked out to the center of the ballroom where his parents stood waiting. They exchanged quick congratulations all around, with Lara going to Kal-El first, while Jor-El talked warmly with Lana. Then they switched. Father and son shared a bonecrushing hug, while the two women hesitated slightly before Lara stepped forward and hugged her future step-daughter.

"Come see me tomorrow, Lana," the queen said, "for lunch in the family quarters. I have _much_ for which to apologize."

Then the king and queen drifted away, taking their a place in the front row of the crowd. When the music started, Kal-El and Lana took their positions, he in his white uniform with gold trim, her in her shimmering gold dress, and once eight bars of music had passed, they began to dance.

Long hours of dancing together in the makeshift dancing room back in Krakovia paid off, as not only did Lana know the dance, but she and Kal-El moved together as one. Lana practically glowed as she looked up at her beloved, and his return gaze was nothing less than worshipful. Back and forth and around and around they danced, until the music ended and the other dancers moved out onto the floor.

The ball continued late into the night, with the older celebrants calling it a night and heading home long before their children were even close to done dancing. But one adult was paying special attention to her child. That one adult noticed how eager her son was to touch and kiss his intended, and how eager that young woman was to return his affection.

_I think Jor-El is wrong, _Lara thought. _Those two aren't going to last fifteen months_. _We're going to have to move that wedding up. Hmm…it can't be a spring wedding because Lord Lang needs to marry off his eldest girl first and because the guests for a royal wedding are far flung and won't start traveling until the weather improves, even if Kryptonian messengers delivered the invitations tomorrow._

_A summer wedding is out because the humans won't like the heat in the capital, and there's not nearly enough room for all the prospective guests at the summer palace…so it looks like a fall wedding will have to do. Maybe September or early October. _

_So…nine or ten months instead of fifteen. It will just have to do. I hope those two can keep their clothes on until then. What a disaster _that_ would be! We may have to split them apart for their own protection._

The next day was Saturday. Almost everyone got up late due to the aftereffects of the banquet and ball in Lana's honor. Many skipped breakfast altogether and compensated with an early lunch. Lana, however, was up early and went through her normal daily routine, mostly because she was nervous about another lunch with the queen.

The morning was spent with her sisters, as they both wanted to hear about everything between her and Kal-El. Lana knew things were a bit screwy when Lois was as interested in her romance with Kal-El as Alicia was, but Lana was okay with that, as she was happy to see her older sister finally find a man who understood and accepted her…and she was more than happy to dish on the basic details of her relationship with Kal-El, as long as Lois reciprocated and told her and Alicia about Bruce.

Kal-El spent the morning with his Jor-El, intending to watch how his father handled the business of state. Instead, he ended up spending most of the morning receiving congratulations from everyone he met. While he was thrilled with his betrothal, the incessant best wishes began to get on his nerves after awhile.

When lunch time arrived, Kal-El was looking forward to it as a break from his duties, but Lana was more nervous than ever…at least, that was until Kal-El waited for her at an entrance to the ladies' wing to personally escort her to the royal apartments for lunch.

"I thought I was supposed to be eating with just your mother," Lana said.

"Maybe initially," Clark replied, "but apparently mother changed her mind once she'd had some time to think about it. Now, I'm going to be there and so will my father and my grandmother."

"Good. Less chance of me being ambushed again that way." Lana looked up at Kal-El then, and added, "Of course, your mother _did _say something about having a lot for which she needed to apologize, so maybe this lunch will be different."

"No matter how poorly she acted to you before, Lana - and she was abominable - remember that in the end, she approved our betrothal."

Kal-El escorted Lana into the relatively small room where lunch was going to be served. They were there first, but were joined momentarily by Lady Irilta and then by Jor-El and Lara. Before anyone was seated or served, Lara approached Lana, and began to speak…


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Down to Business

"The last time you were invited to eat here, Lady Lana," Queen Lara said, "I was determined to protect my son's life from what I saw as an unnecessarily early end. The goal was admirable, but my methods were…much less so. I chose to hammer away at you until you gave in and accepted my view that a marriage with Kal-El was not in anyone's best interests except yours.

"There were other ways to try to get my point across - gentler, more polite ways - and yet, I chose not to use them. For that, and for causing you however much distress I did, I am truly sorry."

Lana wasn't sure it was her turn to talk yet, and Kal-El was purely blown away by hearing his mother apologize so totally and completely. The fact that she did it in front of witnesses was another surprise. Jor-El had known what was coming, as Lara had confided in him that morning, but Lady Irilta was looking at her daughter like she'd just grown a second head.

Lara made _everyone_ in the room blanch, though, when she then gave Lana the freedom to speak her mind in reply. Lana didn't know a lot about royal protocol, but she did know that gave her the power to say _anything _she wanted to say to the queen, and she could not be punished for it in any way…not now and not ever in the future. The granted power would end with the meeting, but to say anything she wanted to Queen Lara was a powerful temptation for Lana.

A hush fell over the room as Lana thought. _So many things to say. It would feel so good to return some of that bile to her…to make her feel like I did when she accused me of being selfish. _

_But…when I speak now, I don't speak just for myself. Kal's name and reputation will get attached to everything I say…and furthermore, this woman will be my mother-in-law - and the grandmother of our children - for a very long time. Maybe the wisest course in this case is the most difficult one: eat my anger and hurt, and instead offer an olive branch._

Lana swallowed hard and then addressed the queen. "Your Majesty, I thank you for reconsidering your position on a betrothal between your son and me, and I thank you also for your apology. I accept it most humbly." _And now for the hard part, _Lana thought. "As for what happened in the garden, I believe nothing more need be said. I can only hope the betrothal has opened a new chapter in our relationship."

Lara had braced herself for a verbal onslaught from Lana, but was pleased, both personally, and as the mother of Lana's future husband, by the way she conducted herself. Kal-El reached over to Lana and squeezed her hand under the table, even as he flashed a happy but unsurprised smile at everyone else. Lana's grace under pressure wasn't anything new to him. Jor-El released a deep breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding, and Lady Irilta gave Lana a piercing look before breaking into a bemused grin. "I think she actually means it. Hah! That'll be a first; someone in the El household who can govern her mouth."

That earned her sour looks from the king and queen, and made Kal-El tease his grandma with his reply. "That sure as Hell includes _you, _Grandma."

Lady Irilta froze halfway between choosing whether to complain about Kal-El's language or reminding him she wasn't an El, but then she just laughed at his impudence for disrespecting an elder, and replied, "You got me."

After that, the servants were summoned, and lunch was served. Everyone in the room pretended nothing unusual had just happened, and by the end of the meal, with some gentle prodding on either side by the men in the room, Lara and Lana made a somewhat tentative effort to strike up a normal conversation.

Lana was about ready to retreat from the royal quarters and declare the meal a success, when the king brought up the primary reason for the lunch.

"We are here today to begin the huge task of organizing the first royal wedding in…"

Lara cut in with a dangerous look, and said, "Don't you _dare_ say how many years ago, Jor-El."

Jor-El gave his wife a pointed look, and continued, "…in many years." He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. "Satisfied?" Then he looked at Lana and muttered, just loud enough so everyone could hear, "Even though she's a long-lived Kryptonian, she's still _very_ touchy about her age." That made everyone around the table chuckle, and managed to dispel most of the remaining tension over the queen's apology.

"Anyway, as this is a royal wedding," Jor-El said, "the Queen's office will be in charge of the preparations. Formal occasions are, in fact, one of the primary reasons her staff is so large." All of this talk was for the benefit of both Lana and Kal-El. Lana, because she wasn't expected to know royal protocol, and Kal-El, because he'd never cared to learn anything having to do with royal weddings. "But while the queen is in charge, she will need the assistance of you and your staff, Lady Lana."

"But…but I don't _have _a staff. I just have the normal complement of maids in my service." Lana would have been slightly worried by now, except she could feel something was slightly off. And as the roles of the other three people in the room were quite clear…Lana suddenly realized why Lady Irilta was present. She turned her head and faced her. "My staff, I presume?"

Lady Irilta's face went from impassive to a wide grin in the blink of an eye. "Oh, this one's sharp, Your Majesties. I'm going to like working with her."

"She is but the _start _of your staff," Jor-El said, "if you choose her. And I seriously recommend that you do. Her primary task will be to turn you into a royal princess in _truth _by the time you become one in fact."

"Your Majesty?" Lana asked. She was rather confused by that statement and wanted some clarification.

"She'll be your tutor for all the things about being a princess that you don't know, but need to."

Lara perked up. "And believe me, that list is a _lot_ longer than you think it is."

"As far as the rest of your staff goes," Jor-El said, "you and your father need to sit down soon and choose a chief of staff, who can then work with you to fill the other staff positions."

"Why, exactly, do I need a staff?"

"Because you're about to join the royal family," Jor-El said. "While you won't officially become one of us until the wedding, you are effectively one of us right now. Becoming betrothed to my son has just tripled the number of your social obligations, and probably multiplied your incoming mail by a factor of ten. Just having a social secretary to keep your appointments straight and a few correspondence secretaries to sort, open, and sometimes even answer your mail, will be a lifesaver.

"In any case, you now have a royal budget for your new staff. I expect the staff to be filled within two weeks. And now that I'm done talking about the staff, I'm turning this meeting over to the queen."

"Thank you, Jor-El," Lara said, before turning to her small audience. "I only have two things on my agenda for today, but they're both important. First off, Lady Lana, I will need a list of every person you wish to invite to the wedding. The initial list needs to be in my hand - mine and no one else's mind you - by New Year's Day. You are allowed to invite as many as one-thousand guests to see the service itself in the cathedral and then attend the open-air reception to be held back here at the palace. I recommend you ask your sisters for support in this task, as your staff won't be in place yet. Once the final guest lists are done, we can begin to send out the formal invitations."

Lana was sure she didn't even _know _a thousand people, but she thought maybe her father could help her by naming some families he knew and would want to honor with an invitation.

"The second thing I need to mention is that I've already started to the process of setting the actual date of the wedding." All four sets of ears perked up as the queen went over her logic from the night before. "So…a late summer or early fall date will work best. We'll get more specific when it's time to send out the formal invitations."

Later that day, royal messengers were sent to the many noble residences affected by the king's reassignment of titles and lands. The people in Roskilde were soon to discover their beloved Langs were leaving. They were unsure of their replacement being a man with Bruce's less than sterling reputation, but were mollified to learn he'd be marrying one of the Lang girls. _At least one of the Langs will still be here, _seemed to be the prevailing thought in the town and throughout the Langs' former lands.

Lana soon settled into a routine of spending her mornings with her father and sisters, as they had to help Lois prepare for her wedding as well as make the list of guests for Lana's part of the royal wedding. Kal-El made use of that time to keep shadowing the king and learn more about how to rule.

Early afternoons, however, belonged to the young couples. Some days Kal-El and Lana might spend their time together in the royal library as Lana searched for books she'd only heard rumors about. Other days - after the first big snows of the season fell - they would go for a ride in an open-air phaeton which had had its wheels replaced with runners to turn it from a carriage into a sleigh. Lana would be bundled up against the cold, and Kal-El would just sit there at her side, unburdened by fur blankets and the like, while Lana's chaperone sat across from them under a sea of blankets of her own.

New Year's Day approached, and Lana turned in her initial list of guests. After her list had been vetted for the political suitability of the proposed guests, she was given one last chance to make last minute changes. Finding none were needed, she and her father turned the list back in and waited. By the time Lana turned in her final list, the date for the wedding had been chosen. It was to happen on the first Saturday in early September, not too long before Lana's eighteenth birthday.

Now that all the pertinent information had been assembled, the queen's staff went into overdrive - and they borrowed every last girl off Lana's new staff - to write out the formal wedding invitations. Once they were ready, the human messengers of the Royal Mail Service handled delivering the invitations to the lucky people of Alemannia who were to receive them, but a large number of Kryptonians were commandeered to deliver the invitations that were headed to other kingdoms.

Franconia, Iberia, and many other kingdoms large and small were to receive royal invitations, but only one kingdom got a visit from the royal prince. Kal-El had asked Lana if she'd mind if he delivered the invitation to King Richard himself. Lana had given him her wholehearted approval, as she knew his main purpose in making the delivery to Anglia himself was to see his sister and tell her in person of his success.

Kal-El made the flight the next day, and it took him a little while to locate the king and his court, as they had switched residences since he'd last been in the kingdom. But soon enough, he approached the king, with the Alemanni ambassador at his side, to present the invitations.

The full court had turned out once they'd been told that the Alemanni crown prince had come back to make an important announcement. That crowd included a stunning, ebon-haired princess named Mara who was almost bouncing on her toes from the moment Kal-El made his appearance.

"Your Majesty," Kal-El said with a slight bow, "it is my great pleasure to announce a royal betrothal." A murmur rippled through the crowd. "King Jor-El and Queen Lara of Alemannia are proud to announce that their son, Crown Prince Kal-El, has been betrothed to Lady Lana Lang. The wedding will take place in Königsberg Cathedral on the first Saturday in September."

"We are pleased to receive news of this happy event," Richard said in his most formal voice. "And We shall be pleased to attend the wedding Ourselves, along with a suitable entourage. In fact, given that We have already decided to escort Princess Mara and her ladies back home in the spring, We will stay in Alemannia for the rest of the spring and the entire summer. Two trips back and forth that close together are a waste of time and a dangerous risk." Then Richard leaned forward and smiled. "That is, if your parents don't kick Us out on Our royal ass for falling for your sister."

"I have come to believe there is little risk of that, Your Majesty," Kal-El replied. "I fully expect my father to agree to your match with my sister. So maybe your steward should begin wedding preparations of his own the minute your fleet sails in the spring."

Kal-El's announcement had been the last bit of business of the day. It had been planned that way by the king, so they could retire to a secluded reception room and talk comfortably, once the formalities of court had been observed. Richard, Mara, and a smattering of his closest friends and her ladies-in-waiting were already in the room when Kal-El and the ambassador were escorted inside.

Mara had no intention of following protocol here. As soon as Kal-El stepped through the door, she cannoned across the room and into his arms. "Kal! Kal! I'm so happy for you!" She hugged her older brother fiercely, a bone-crushing gesture that would have killed any other man in the room.

"I'm happy for me, too, Mara," Kal-El replied, as he laughed. "Lana and I are so pleased. She's working with Grandma on court etiquette and stuff, and she's even getting along with mother now, as they work together on planning the wedding." Kal went on to explain what had happened between the two after Mara had left.

"Mother apologized?" Mara asked. "Wow. And people say miracles don't happen."

The two kept chatting and eventually brought Richard into their discussion. Kal-El ended that long chat with a friendly word of warning. "I've done my part; now you two should be able to do yours. Just don't do anything to antagonize Father and the rest should be easy."


	84. Chapter 84

-1Chapter 84

Solo Dance

Kal-El returned to Königsberg and the winter palace the next day, as Mara wasn't about to let him leave without a good, long gossip about the doings back home. As for Mara and her ladies, they'd suffered quite a bit since her return from the capital and were just now beginning to come out from the cloud they'd been under for weeks.

As Kal-El prepared to launch himself skyward for the flight home, he shook his head and chuckled to himself as he thought of the 'I told you so' he was going to get from Lana. Before leaving he had told her he would be home that night; Lana's reply had been to smile and say Mara wouldn't let him go that easily.

The flight home was quick, and as Kal-El was coming to a landing in the expansive palace courtyard, he saw a gathering by the south wing entrance that garnered his attention. A large group of well-armed knights and armsmen were lined up four abreast, with one knight at their head. What drew his attention was the fact that none of the soliders wore any sort of tabard to show what lord they served. And then a second look showed Kal-El that the man at the head of the line of troops was none other than the newly minted Lord Bruce Wayne. Kal-El landed near to where Bruce's horse was standing, and all of the mounted men, including Bruce, bowed to the prince as best they could.

"Where are you headed?" Kal-El looked down the line of soldiers. "And who are all of these men?"

"For the first time since I became a knight," Bruce said, "I'm heading _home," _Bruce looked back at the long line of men awaiting his command. "And as for these men, they were the soldiers who accompanied Lord Lang and his daughters to the palace, but now that I'm the Baron of Roskilde, they're mine."

Kal-El had figured the troops were Bruce's baronial troops, but he'd never heard his friend refer to home before now. "Home? You mean Roskilde?" When Bruce nodded affirmatively, Kal-El said, "Why now? You've just become betrothed to my future sister-in-law and we still have most of the winter social season ahead of us to celebrate."

"If it was just Lois and me," Bruce replied, "I'd stay. Wild horses couldn't drag me away then, and a royal command would only be grudgingly obeyed. But now I'm a baron, and I have thousands of people that are depending on me to take care of them. It's time I headed to Roskilde to start learning what a baron does." Then a wistful smile crept across Bruce's face. "Besides, Lois and I are going to have a spring wedding in Roskilde. I need to be there to make sure everything that can be done to prepare for our wedding is being done. I want Lois to have a wedding that surpasses her dreams."

Kal-El was rather surprised by what he'd just heard. Not so much by the words themselves, as by the intensity with which they'd been said. He clapped his closest friend on the thigh, and said, "Be careful, Bruce. You're almost sounding…_romantic_ there."

"Maybe I am." Bruce's horse started to dance about nervously, causing its rider to take a moment to bring him back under control. "Even if the things in Rouchka Pass didn't happen the way most people think, I've still spent most of my life exploring my brutal side. I think…I think it's time to see what else I can be." Bruce spent a moment adjusting the fit of his leather gauntlets and then asked, "Now, with your kind permission…?"

Kal-El stepped back out of the way. "By all means, Lord Wayne, go to your new home. But remember one thing," Kal-El said mock seriously.

"What's that your Highness?"

"Lana and I are expecting formal invitations to the wedding." Then the prince's face broke into a huge grin. "And we'll _be_ at the wedding whether we receive invitations or not."

Bruce snorted with laughter and shook his head before leading his column of troops out of the palace courtyard on the first leg of the long journey home. Kal-El stood and watched until the last horse and rider disappeared into the tunnel that went under the building, and then headed up the steps into the south wing. The first servant to pass by was commandeered from whatever task she was on and ordered to find Lady Lana Lang. Once the lady was located, the servant was to inform her that the prince had arrived and ask her to meet him in the ballroom.

Lana showed up with a couple of ladies in tow a little less than twenty minutes later. When Kal-El led the three women into the ballroom, Lana caught on to his intention rather quickly. She asked her ladies to wait just inside the door while she and her prince went farther into the room to share a rare private moment. As they stopped moving, Kal-El cast a spell to keep the ladies who'd come in with Lana from hearing what would be said, and Lana launched herself into his arms. The two of them began to kiss heatedly, stopping only for a quick breath, before engaging in a longer, deeper kiss. When their breath ran out this time, they moved back just far enough so they could see each other's face while comfortably holding hands.

"A solo dance for us this time?" Lana asked, with an ear-to-ear smile.

"Yeah, it was the one room big enough to give us some space that I was sure would be empty." Kal-El replied. He eyed Lana, enjoying the way the light from the one lit chandelier glittered in her eyes. "I was only gone for a day, and yet I missed you so much."

"Me too," Lana replied wistfully. "Yesterday, I found myself thinking of you at the oddest times."

"I wish we had more time to ourselves these days," Kal-El said, as he looked over at her ladies.

"More time _truly_ alone."

"Yeah. Discreet as they are, those women are still here, watching our every move." Kal-El looked more closely at the women and finally noticed they really were ladies and not just maids. "When did this happen?"

"What?"

"You having your own ladies-in-waiting."

"Yesterday," Lana grumped. "It's apparently not enough that I have a full staff. Your parents insisted I take on a full complement of younger ladies to be my companions and to help guard my virtue."

"Says who?" Kal-El replied. "And guard your virtue from whom? Me?"

"Your _parents_ said, though I suspect your mother was the driving force behind the move. She said they'd seen enough of us together since our betrothal to warrant this step. Apparently it was either accept this or else they would send you on a diplomatic mission somewhere far away until it was time for Lois and Bruce to get married."

Kal-El looked away from Lana briefly and took some time to compose his thoughts before returning his gaze to her. "If it keeps me near you, then I hope it's a burden you can bear, because I couldn't deal with spending another two or three months away from you. I'm not that strong." Kal-El pulled Lana close for a slow, sweet kiss and then wrapped his arms around her shoulders as she rested one side of her face on his chest.

"I'll get used to it," Lana assured Kal-El. "I would have had to do it after the wedding anyway. My only real problem is that I'm having a lot of new things thrown at me all at once. The new personal staff, spending time being taught by Lady Irilta, and now my ladies…all while trying to help as much as I can with the wedding stuff."

"Did you get to select any of them, or did mother just give them to you?"

"Some of both," Lana said wryly. "She gave me a list of politically acceptable young women to choose from. I'd met most of them already during the almost nightly soirees you and I have been attending, so choosing nine wasn't too hard. Lady Irilta was invaluable there, as she made sure I balanced my selections so no area of the kingdom was left out."

"Anything new on the wedding planning?"

"Not really. Right now, your mother is fixated on planning our individual processions to the cathedral." Lana stayed there leaning up against her man, just enjoying the way she felt in his arms, until she remembered something. "Oh! Your mother wants you and me to meet with the archbishop sometime soon."

"Us together? Or separate visits?" Kal-El's chin was resting lightly on top of Lana's head at the moment.

"Together, I think, though she didn't make it clear."

"Hmm…I can handle that." He leaned back a bit and kissed Lana's forehead. "Do you think the archbishop counts as a chaperone for you?"

Lana snickered. "The highest ranking churchman in the kingdom? I should hope so." Lana took a turn at asking a question. "How was Mara?"

"Excited beyond belief, just like you thought she would be," Kal-El admitted.

"Ha! I knew it!"

"Yeah, she wouldn't let me leave until she'd asked every question she could think of." Kal-El settled his chin back on the top of Lana's head. "How are your studies with Grandma coming along?" Kal-El asked.

"She's a hard taskmaster," Lana said carefully. "She's strict, and she really lays into me when I mess up," _boy, does she ever, _she thought,"but I'm learning so much."

"She still cracking your knuckles when your concentration wavers?"

"Yeah. I'm beginning to hate that riding crop of hers."

"Just as long as she doesn't use it anywhere else," Kal-El said. "If she tries to, take the riding crop away from her. Heck, I don't know why Grandma's got that thing; she doesn't even _ride_ horses. As far as I know, she's always used a carriage."

The lovers stayed in their comfortable embrace for some time, talking about little things, anything that happened to come to mind, really, until Kal-El used his x-ray vision to look outside and see that the sun was getting low in the afternoon sky. "Please tell me we don't have another social engagement this evening," he begged. "I just want to stay home and spend the night doing something quiet with you."

"Sorry," Lana replied, "I want more private time like you do, but we have to go. This isn't just _anyone's_ party tonight; this party is being thrown by Duke Dax-Ur."

"Oh. We definitely can't miss that one…but I wish I could just whisk you away from here. Take you flying or something."

"That sounds so romantic, Kal, and it would be so much fun. But…"

"Yeah, but…us running off alone would compromise your honor and end our chances of getting married. I'd never do that to you, Lana, or to us."

"I know you wouldn't," Lana replied. "It's just one of the many reasons I love you." Lana settled back against Kal-El's massive chest. "Rumor has it Dax-Ur's going to make a very special announcement tonight."

"You mean about Duke Mar-Ken and Lady Ingrid?" Kal-El asked casually, as if he already knew all about it.

"Yeah, that's the rumor anyway." Lana heard the tone of Kal-El's voice and peered up at him. "Tell me."

"You want me to betray a confidence?" Kal-El asked in mock surprise.

"Not if you promised to keep it a secret." Lana bit her lower lip and gave Kal-El her best puppy dog eyes. "But if you _could_ tell me, I would be ever so grateful."

"Like I could refuse you anything you chose to ask for." Kal-El nodded his head toward the distant door and the ladies standing by it. "Come on, let's go get ready for the party. I'll tell you all about it on the way."

"Won't my ladies hear you?"

"Not a chance. I'm leaving the sound shield up until I leave you at the entrance to the women's wing. That way, your ladies won't be able to hear a single thing we say."


	85. Chapter 85

-1Chapter 85

Time Flies

As the weeks flew by and winter prepared to give way to spring, Lana completed the adjustment to her new status. Not only did she become used to _having _ladies-in-waiting, but she began to discover a number of convenient uses for them. And as for her staff, Lana was _beginning_ to wonder if she could function without them, especially her correspondence secretaries.

Those young women had to deal with the large volume of mail she received from the starstruck little girls of nobles and well-to-do merchants all over the kingdom, even those families that weren't spending the winter in the capital. Most of their fathers had no interest in their daughters turning out like Lana, but with the secret help of their mothers, aunts, or older sisters, the letters were written and sent _anyway._

Lana spent a lot of time writing out answers to particular questions that seemed to get asked a lot, so that her secretaries could answer the girls properly. Sometimes a new question was asked, and Lana answered those, and once her girls had finished the replies, Lana had the job of signing her name to every letter.

The one thing Lana enjoyed most about her correspondence with the girls of Alemannia was her insistence that every letter included a paragraph near the end that encouraged the girls to take every chance they had to get an education. She had hopes of helping to create an entire generation of young women who were as capable as their brothers. Kal-El had nearly choked the first time she'd shown him the standard encouragement, but not because he disagreed with her intention.

"Father's going to hear about this, and soon," Kal-El said, after he'd caught his mental balance. "A number of these letters will be going to families that are spending the winter in their homes here in the city, so when the fathers find out about this - and some of them will, no matter how well the girls try to hide things - they'll come storming into the palace _en masse_ to complain about your 'subversive' writings."

"Subversive?" Lana nearly choked herself. "I just want these girls to have the advantages I did."

"Yes, Dearest," Kal replied as he took Lana's hands and kissed the backs of each before going on. "You know as well as I do that not everyone has the enlightened approach to young girls that your father did. For most of _these_ men, their daughters are seen as property they can use to improve their families' fortunes. You, my Dear, are about to upset their apple cart."

Lana squeezed Kal's thick fingers and smiled up at him. "As long as I have your support, then I can manage the rest of them quite well." Kal -El turned Lana down the spacious hall, which was lined with wall sconces for light and niches for small but elegant artworks. The two of them were followed by two of Lana's ladies-in-waiting, who remained close but weren't allowed to hear a word that was said. Kal-El had grown tired of their constant presence and had started using his magic more than ever before solely to gain some sort of privacy in his personal life with Lana.

"How are the trade treaty talks coming along?" Lana asked. She wished she could be with him as he listened in on the negotiations between the trade minister and the party that had just arrived from the neighboring kingdom of Franconia. While the talks themselves could actually be rather tedious, Lana liked knowing what was going on at the highest levels of government, and considered things like the trade treaty talks as chances to further her own education.

"Boring," Kal-El replied. "They spent all morning politely arguing over the smallest detail you can imagine…but I'd been charged by Father to pay attention and report back to him at lunch, so I had to listen closely. When I gave him a rundown of the talks during a long lunch, he explained just how important that 'smallest detail' really was. He said having that item get decided in our favor could save Alemanni merchants who trade with Franconia as much as ten-thousand _kroner_ per year."

"Wow. That's some 'small detail.'" Lana had become rather familiar with large-scale finance during the war, but hearing Kal-El talk about that much gold as if it was a commonplace amount of money made her fingers twitch. Of course, she could remember a time a few months ago when she'd thought the several hundred golds he'd spent on her dress for the Harvest Ball had also been way too much.

"Do you think I could sneak into some of those negotiations?" Lana asked, a few minutes later. She wanted to learn, and since she already knew Kal-El planned on having her as his most important advisor, she figured it was never too early to start learning.

"Can you find the _time?" _Kal replied bluntly. "I mean, the last time I checked, getting a space on your morning calendar was only _slightly_ less difficult than raising the dead."

Lana chuckled at that, and conceded that her desire to learn the workings of royal government would have to wait until after her wedding. "I guess there _are_ limits…" she said, before her voice trailed off. "But I want to do everything and do it all _now."_

"Pace yourself, Milady," Kal-El said. "We've got a very long time together for you to do and see everything. I likely won't even be king for another forty or fifty years."

"That just gives us more time as Duke and Duchess of Borussia. Time to learn; time to practice."

"True," Kal-El replied, "and that reminds me: you haven't even seen the ducal palace yet."

"No," Lana agreed. She'd never even been near the city, as the path her family had taken to travel to Königsberg had bypassed Kal-El's seat of power.

"I think we'll have to arrange for a slight detour to Borussia on our way back to the capital after the Lois and Bruce wedding." Kal-El finally located the sitting room where a prearranged tray of refreshments awaited them, and ushered Lana inside. "The funny thing is that I haven't been at the palace very often myself, and never more than for a week or two at a time."

"So we can explore the palace's secrets together," Lana said, as a servant filled their teacups and then placed the tray of light snacks where they could be easily reached. Lana's ladies had their own table and snacks, which was another of Kal-El's prearrangements.

"Together," Kal-El sighed. "I like that word more and more with each passing day."

"How much longer until our procession begins to head south?" Lana knew the exact date better than Kal-El did, but she was feeling a little bit tired at the moment and didn't particularly want to think.

"Another couple of weeks." Kal-El watched with some concern and a little humor as Lana gave a huge yawn, just like a cat. Thinking of the powerful jungle cat that was on both Lewis' and Lana's coats-of-arms, he said, "My tiny tiger. So fierce. So graceful. So beautiful. So strong."

Lana had been about to ask, sleepily, if he was mocking her with the 'tiny tiger' comment, but the string of compliments that came after that made her smile instead. She was _really_ beginning to want an afternoon nap, but she couldn't quite remember if she had a social engagement that evening, and her social secretary was in an entirely different wing of the palace at that moment. She could ask Kal-El though. He'd know.

"_Please_ tell me I don't have anywhere to go tonight," Lana pleaded. "I just want a short nap, a light dinner, and then maybe enough time to challenge you to a couple of games of chess before bedtime."

"Chess is it?" Kal-El asked. "Better make it a _loooong _nap if you're planning to take on me." Kal-El knew he and Lana were expected at a very small, very exclusive get-together that evening, but he didn't like how tired she was all of a sudden. After she shuffled off for her nap, he'd send a courier with a personal note to their host for the evening to explain why they wouldn't be there, and another one to Lana's social secretary to let her know their plans had changed.

Lana was happy to be staying at home. Not only was she tired, but the closer the calendar got to springtime, the harder she'd been working to stay out of the limelight so that Lois' could fully enjoy her betrothal and everything that would lead up to her wedding with Bruce. Showing up Lois now, even accidentally, was something Lana would not allow.

A few months earlier, Lois _had_ been a little worried that the general excitement over anything related to Lana would turn her own wedding into nothing more than a sideshow. But Lana's efforts at fading into the background had been noticed and greatly appreciated by Lois, and after a long heart-to-heart talk between the sisters, they had found themselves closer than ever.

While Lana napped, her sisters were getting ready to attend a big bash that night on the far side of the city, and their major topic of conversation was Lois' fancy wedding gown, which had just been completed the day before. The services of the royal dressmakers had been given to Lois as an early wedding present by Kal-El a few days after his own betrothal. She'd been thrilled at the time, but _that_ was before the dressmakers had put her through no fewer than four long, laborious fittings for the gown.

Now that the process was complete, though, Lois had agreed it had all been worth it. The gown was stunning - everyone who had seen her in it thought so - and she couldn't stop talking about it, not even a day after being presented with the finished product.

"I can only hope my gown's half as beautiful when it's my turn to marry," Alicia said wistfully.

"Don't worry about that," Lois grinned. "By then, our father's treasury will be flush with money. Moving up from baron to count tends to do that. He'll be able to afford just about anything you could want."

"Do you think so?" Alicia asked hopefully, as one of the maids began to cinch up her corset. Alicia was doing what she could to help Lois prepare to marry Bruce. After that wedding, she planned on switching to a temporary position on Lana's staff so that she could help there, too. Her goals were to help and to learn. She wanted to take the best ideas from their weddings to help her make informed choices when it came time for her own.

And though Alicia still didn't know how many noble families now wanted her to marry one of their sons - for reasons of political advantage - she did know she was receiving a _lot_ more male attention than ever before, and she was loving it. To her mind, her sudden popularity was just a case of natural progression: as Lois and then Lana were taken off the marriage market, it seemed only natural to the fifteen-year-old girl that she should be next in line.

Lois and Lana hadn't had the heart, or the time, to set her down and straighten her out on that subject. Besides, they both thought she'd figure it out on her own sometime in the next couple of years….especially if she ever started attracting attention from the more powerful families in the kingdom.

"Yes," Lois replied. "Father will want your wedding to be nice. Obviously he won't be able to match the splendor of Lana's upcoming wedding - God only knows how much the king is going to end up paying for _that_ little shindig - but father will be able to make sure your wedding matches mine, and I know you're pretty excited about mine."

"Yeah," Alicia said, "your wedding's going to be so pretty in the castle's chapel back home."

"It should be," Lois agreed, "as long as that knight of mine stays out of the way and lets his housekeeping staff run things."

Lois and Alicia were long gone, and Lana and Kal-El were deep in thought as they battled on an ornate marble chess set. Lana had lost the first game rather easily, which was something that didn't sit well with her because she knew she was good at the game. Kal-El, however, was in a class by himself and he respected his future wife far too much to patronize her by letting her win. So, she always got his best effort when they played, which meant she always got her butt kicked.

The second game, which was currently underway, was going better for Lana than the first one had, but she was still down an exchange and was suffering with a constricted position, while Kal-El's pieces were finely posted and had plenty of mobility.

"I can't believe this," she groused. "I'm better than this."

"Obviously not," Kal-El replied, "or else you'd be beating me."

Lana quirked an eyebrow upon hearing that. The smartass comment from her beloved Kal wasn't helping her mood any.

"But if you play me often enough," Kal-El continued, "Your game will steadily improve." Then he leaned over the board and gave Lana a special smile; a smile he reserved just for her. She could feel her face flush red and her toes curl in her shoes, as he said, "And just imagine how you'll feel when you finally win. It won't be luck, and I won't be taking it easy on you; you will have earned it."

"You know," Lana ventured, "these games between us aren't a real competition, not until I _do_ win one anyway. But once that happens, and it _will_ happen someday, then watch out."

Kal-El leaned in the rest of the way and stole a quick kiss from Lana. "So…are you ready to concede this game yet?"

Lana grabbed her king and toppled it over. "I concede…_this_ time." Then she leaned over the table and grabbed her prince and kissed him hard. "And other times, I just take what I want."


	86. Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Jitters

"How much farther is it, Lana?" Kal-El asked, as he helped her climb down from the carriage she'd been riding in with her family.

"Not much more," Lana replied, as she rested in Kal-El's arms for a few seconds before stepping back to a respectable distance. "Father says we just have to make it over that last low saddle up there, and then it's downhill into the Roskilde valley from there."

"Good. This has been a long trip."

Lord Lang had just helped Lois climb down and was helping Alicia next, as he asked, "What do you mean 'long,' your Highness? _You_ haven't been cooped up inside a carriage with three silly girls for nearly two weeks."

"Silly girls?" Kal-El replied, pretending he had no idea to whom Lord Lang was referring, even as all three Lang girls gave their father an amused look. "I don't see any silly girls here; all I see are three of the most sought-after young ladies in the entire kingdom." He turned Lana to fully face her father and then stood behind her while resting his hands on her shoulders. "Well…two are already taken, including the light of my life over here," Kal-El squeezed Lana's shoulders, "but Lady Alicia is almost in need of her own social secretary just to help sort out who gets to talk to her next."

Having seen the cloud of young men that seemed show up wherever his youngest went back in the royal palace, Lewis couldn't help but agree and then looked at his daughter as if it was _her_ fault. "At least I don't have to worry about marrying her off for a couple of years yet."

The small procession of people traveling with the Langs to Roskilde for the wedding of Lois and Bruce stopped with them, as there was no place between them and the town of Roskilde itself where they could have a hot meal. The dried meats and fruits they'd brought with them might not have been anyone's first choice, but they were enough to satisfy everyone's hunger pangs and get them back on the road for the last hours of their trip.

A couple of hours more was all it took for the heavily guarded train of carriages, supply wagons, and horsemen to roll into Roskilde. Bruce's staff had already decided which guests would be able to stay in the castle's guest rooms, and which would need to take rooms in the town itself, so the column of newcomers split in town, with a few of them continuing up the winding path that led to the castle high over the town itself.

Kal-El was first into the castle's courtyard, but he wasn't the person of the moment, so he slipped off his horse, exchanged brief greetings with Bruce, and then quietly drifted off to one side as the Langs' carriage came to a stop. One by one, Bruce's future in-laws piled out of the carriage. Lord Lang came out first, followed by Ladies Lana and Alicia, all of whom received large cheers from their former subjects.

Last to alight from the carriage was Lady Lois, the woman for whom everyone was waiting. Bruce had greeted the other Langs politely, but with Lois, nothing would do other than sweeping her into his arms for a hard kiss, followed by whispered endearments.

"I've missed you so much!" Lois said quietly.

"I also," Bruce replied. "If I had known how hard the time apart would be, I would have stayed at the palace and insisted on a wedding in Königsberg."

Kal-El smiled when he thought back to the people these two had seemed to be when he first met them. Bruce had been a hard case who really didn't seem to care for women, and Lois had been a woman bent on proving she could be as tough as any man. The part he didn't _like_ to remember was that both Bruce and Lois had given him a pair of rather serious beatings very soon after meeting him. _What is it with these two? They seem to like violence…hmm, that's a serious reminder to shut off the super-hearing before these two consummate their union in the marriage bed._

Once Lois and Bruce finished greeting each other, she stood by his side as he greeted the rest of the guests that were waiting in line, while servants were waiting to direct Crown Prince Kal-El and the Lang family to the various rooms that had been set aside for their use.

By the time Kal-El got settled in his room, washed up after the long trip, and put on a fresh change of clothing, it was nearly time for the evening meal. Kal-El met Lana in the Great Hall, which had rarely been used for a big meal like when her family had been in residence. It warmed her heart to see her old home come alive like this.

Bruce had made sure Kal-El and Lana would be seated together, as were Lewis and Alicia. The first thing that was apparent to the Langs was that someone new was in charge of the cooking in the castle. They'd had a decent cook, but the woman hadn't been capable of putting together a succulent meal like this one. Lana was sitting between Bruce and Kal-El, and leaned over to ask her host where he'd found such a treasure in Roskilde.

"At the Oaken Bucket down in the town itself," Bruce replied. "My first day here I got to town too late to make the climb up to the castle and be sure of a warm reception, so I took a room in town and was amazed by the quality of the fare served there. When I was less than impressed by the food served in the castle over the next few days, I rode back down to town and hired the cook from the Oaken Bucket on the spot."

"Father will kick himself once he hears that," Lana said. "Missing such a talented cook right under his own nose. On the other hand, having a great cook might have caused him to put on weight."

Once the meal was over, Lana pulled on her heavy fur robe and led Kal-El and a couple of her ladies out onto the roof of the main tower of the castle. It was the highest point of the castle, and even in early spring, the air way up here was seriously cold at night. On the other hand, the air was perfectly clear, allowing an unparalleled view of the stars that rose above the rim of distant mountains.

"Remember the last time we were up here?" Lana asked.

"Yeah," Kal-El replied, "I'd just made a visit to pass on Father's command for your family to come to the winter palace, and you brought me up here to take one last look at your favorite view before leaving on your trip to the capital."

"You remember!" Lana said delightedly. "And here I thought you had just been focused on getting a kiss or two from me."

Kal-El pulled Lana in close and pressed his lips against hers. "Like this?"

"Mmm…yes. I think that's just about perfect." As Lana's lips disengaged from Kal-El's, she turned within the circle of his arms and pressed her back against his chest, allowing him to wrap his arms around her and snuggle in close.

"This time, though, I'm looking up at the moon and stars. On a cloudless night, the stars seem so large from up here and they sparkle like drops of morning dew on blades of grass."

Kal-El rested his chin on top of Lana's head at looked at the sky with her. "Or like diamond chips on someone's Harvest Ball gown."

"Mmm…that was a gorgeous gown," Lana said, as she closed her eyes and thought back to that wondrous evening.

"True," Kal-El agreed readily, "but not half so gorgeous as the woman who wore it. You were the belle of the ball. No other woman could hope to compare to you, not even Princess Chloe."

That kind of flattery made Lana smile uncontrollably, mostly because she knew Kal meant it. "I think I would have been the belle of the ball, in your eyes anyway, even if I'd been wearing a burlap dress that was five sizes too large for me."

"True, again…but I wanted _everyone_ to know how beautiful you were, not just me."

The two stayed there until Kal-El detected Lana's ladies-in-waiting were starting to shiver from the cold. They did have on fur robes of their own, but they weren't used to the cold like Lana was, and they were really starting to feel it.

"Let's go inside before your ladies turn into icicles," Kal-El whispered into Lana's ear.

As they headed inside, Lana asked, "Has Bruce said anything to you about having a rehearsal of the wedding before it's time for the actual ceremony itself?"

"Not yet."

"I'll ask Lois before bedtime. Surely we won't be expected to wing it."

"Nah. We have a whole day tomorrow with nothing official planned before the wedding the next day. I can't imagine Bruce neglecting to have at least one run-through of the service before we do it for real."

As Kal-El thought, the next day involved plenty of practice for the official wedding party. While the guests were involved in a series of entertainments Bruce had arranged for them, the wedding party was going through a strict, very regimented practice session. They went through the whole service over and over and over again until Lois finally put a stop to things by telling her nervous husband-to-be that they could all recite the entire service in their sleep. A sheepish Bruce then dismissed everyone for the day, with explicit instructions to be back immediately after lunch the next day for the real thing.

The next morning came nice and early for the people in Roskilde Castle, as the first rays of morning light hit the stone edifice high up on it's hill long before the sun bathed the town down in the valley. Bruce was up and gazing out over the battlements of his castle as those first rays arrived. He was still there sometime later when Kal-El came to find him.

"Nice view from up here," Kal-El said. "It's Lana's favorite."

"Mine too," Bruce said. "It's so peaceful up here."

"Wanna tell me why you missed breakfast?" Kal-El asked. "I'm not sure, but it looked to me like Lois was starting to get a little worried when you didn't show."

Hearing that Lois had been distressed made Bruce grimace. "Damn!" he said softly. "I didn't mean for her to be affected by this."

"This?"

"Yeah. My nerves are a little on edge today."

"Wedding day jitters?"

Bruce rubbed his hands on the front of his thighs to dry his damp palms. "Yeah, I guess so."

"She loves you. You love her. What's to worry about?"

"I got this far once before, Kal-El," Bruce muttered. "A wedding day; me in my finest clothing. I rode in a borrowed carriage to pick up my intended and take her to the small church in town. But her father was a jealous old man. He cut her down rather than let me take her from him, and I killed him in response. Two graves were filled that day…but three people died.

"It took that crazy, obnoxious Lois to bring me back from the dead, and now…I fear having her taken from me, also."

Kal-El was horror-stricken by what he'd just heard. He froze for a moment and then cautiously clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I don't really know what to say, Bruce. But the way I see it, you have two choices: live in the past, and be continually _afraid_ of what the next day might bring, or live each moment to its fullest, and thank God every day for giving you a second chance at joy. Either way, Bruce, it's your choice to make."

"You really think it's that simple, huh?" Bruce asked sourly.

"Nah…what the Hell do I know? I'm just a kid. Right?"

"Sure, you're nineteen years old, and twenty in less than a month. But you're also my liege lord and closest friend. If you can't give me a kick in the ass when I need it, who can?" Bruce turned toward Kal-El for the first time and the two friends shook hands before hugging fiercely. "Decide to be happy. That should be easy enough. A lovely, spirited wife. A barony. The friendship of the crown prince. In truth, I have a lot to be happy for." Bruce took a deep breath, rolled back his shoulders, and straightened his back. "Come on, let's go inside. I have some guests to greet."


	87. Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Brois

Bruce quickly found Lois and pulled her aside to explain his jitters and their cause. Kal-El was close enough to see them but purposely didn't use his super-hearing in order to allow them some sort of privacy. Still, he saw the moment Lois drew Bruce into her arms to comfort him. Kal-El smiled when he saw that; it was nice for him to see another proof of Lois' softer side before she married his best friend.

After that, Bruce and Lois disappeared for most of the morning to share some private time before lunch. That was fine with Kal-El, as that allowed him to go for a walk atop the walls of the castle with Lana. She was bundled up in her fur robe once again, as were the ladies that were following them at a discreet distance.

"I've never seen Lois this consistently happy before," Lana said. "With the way she burbles with excitement whenever she talks about Bruce, you'd almost think she's turned into Alicia's twin."

"_That _would take some getting used to," Kal-El said. "I can't _imagine _two sisters who are less alike than those two."

"Yeah, and to complete the personality switch, Alicia's been a little bit moody ever since both Lois and I were betrothed."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm," Lana said. "I don't know if she's jealous of us, or if it's just because she hasn't heard anything from Prince Harold since we left Krakovia."

Kal-El cracked a smile then which he tried to quickly hide, but Lana noticed it. "Are you laughing at Alicia's pain?" Lana peered at her man more closely. "Or is there something going on that you haven't told me about yet?"

Kal-El shot Lana a look of pretended annoyance. "It's a good thing we're getting married. You're too good at discovering my secrets."

"So what's the secret that involves my little sister?" Lana and Kal-El stopped on the parapet over the gatehouse and looked down at the dizzying drop to the narrow, twisted road that led up to the castle.

"You really want to know?"

"Of course!"

Kal-El shrugged his shoulders, placed an arm around her shoulders, and gave her a squeeze. "Someone _should_ be at the wedding today. A last minute surprise. But I didn't want to say anything until I was sure he was here…and I haven't seen him yet."

"When did you have the time to talk to Prince Harold?"

"I didn't. But when the special messenger Mother sent to Varshova returned with word that Harry would be leading the Krakovian delegation to our wedding, I asked Lois if it would be okay to invite Harry to come early to Alemannia and attend her wedding.

"When she realized my goal was to get Harry and Alicia together, even if just for a short while, she agreed and sent a letter to Bruce to make sure he included the Krakovians in his preparations. Then, I sent the messenger back to give Harry the official invite to Roskilde, with the unofficial inducement of Alicia being scheduled to be here also."

"And Alicia has no idea Prince Harold's on the way?"

"None," Kal-El affirmed. "Not unless Lois let something slip."

"Ohhhh!" Lana said excitedly. "Alicia will go crazy if he shows up. I don't know what Father will think, but according to her, the prince treated her wonderfully after I left to come back here and build the supply base."

"And I'm guessing the Grand Duke might finally allow Harry to seriously pursue Alicia, now that your family's fortunes have risen so dramatically. I mean, before now, Harry was likely being shopped around to marry some princess or maybe a powerful duke's daughter." Kal-El chuckled. "Lord knows when he spent that year in Alemannia with my family, he tried hard enough to gain Mara's interest. Unfortunately for him…"

"Yes, I remember," Lana giggled. "The day we arrived at the winter palace, your sister referred to Prince Harold as 'Handsy Harry.'"

"What I want to know is: where is he now?"

Lunch was a small affair, only for the friends and family who had spent the night in the castle. No one had much of an appetite, and as soon as the meal was over, Lois disappeared into her rooms to prepare for the wedding. Lana left Kal-El at that time and attended upon her sister, while the prince followed Bruce into his chambers. They'd barely been there a minute, when an anxious knock on the door brought word that Prince Harold of Krakovia had ridden into the castle courtyard.

"Made it after all, did he?" Bruce asked. "I was beginning to wonder."

Bruce started to head for the courtyard to greet his high-ranking guest, but Kal-El waved him back. "Stay here and make yourself _pretty_ for Lois." Kal-El started to snicker. "I'll get Harry and try to keep Alicia from discovering his presence until later…which hopefully will be _after_ the ceremony."

Kal-El found his friend waiting in the courtyard with his small guard. The two young men greeted each other with a hearty, back-slapping hug.

"Harry, what brings you here?" Kal-El asked. _As if I didn't know. _

"I'm here to watch the first Lang girl get married, see the proof of the second one's betrothal to you, and spend as much time with the third Lang daughter as I can manage." Then he grinned widely. "Thanks for getting me the invitation, Kal."

"No problem, Harry. Just don't screw it up."

Shortly after Harry arrived at the castle, the wedding guests who had stayed down in the town started arriving in the castle courtyard, and soon they had all been directed to the castle's chapel. Bruce had strictly limited the guests to one-hundred in number, but even so, the smallish chapel was full when it was time for the wedding to start.

It was too early in the year for flowers to be blooming, especially at this altitude, so the chapel wasn't strewn with colorful buds, but carefully placed ivy, holly, and mistletoe decorated the altar, the sides of the chapel, and the center aisle.

Kal-El was resplendent in one of his royal white uniform jackets with gold trim and black pants and boots, while Bruce was wearing the brand new red and black dress uniform of his small army. He was proud of the new design, and his people were slowly becoming proud of him. But the only person whose opinion mattered to him - on this day at least - was just coming into the chapel.

The crowd stood as one as Lois started down the aisle, taking measured steps, with Lana behind Lois, holding her train, and Alicia trailing Lana. Lois followed tradition exactly, as her dress was in her father's own purple and gold colors. The dress was an elegant representation of the royal dressmakers' art; a masterpiece that hinted without showing, while making the most of Lois' voluptuous figure.

Lana and Alicia each wore a dress of muted lavender and pale yellow which had been designed to compliment the dress Lois wore without offering any competition. Today of all days, those girls wanted nothing more than to blend into the background and let Lois have center stage. Even so, while everyone else was focused on the bride, Kal-El found his eyes drawn to the small, slender woman who was right behind her.

Lana's eyes, however, were on her duties. She was just trying to make sure Lois' train didn't catch on anything and that she herself didn't stumble and bring everything to a crashing halt. But once Lois was standing next to Bruce, Lana snuck a peek at Kal-El, only to find him peeking back. They smiled then and turned to face the altar as the bishop took his place.

The bishop had come some distance to perform the marriage. There was a priest in the castle, and another one down in the town, but with a wedding was as important as this one, nothing would do except for the bishop himself to make the trip so he could lend the weight and honor of his office to the proceedings. Standing in front of Lois and Bruce in his richly embroidered ecclesiastical robes and bishop's miter, the bishop gestured for the crowd to be seated, and then he proceeded with the service.

The bishop's flowery words and long, drawn-out speech was nothing less than expected, but even so, the time for the exchange of rings and vows was on them soon enough.

"I, Bruce Wayne, take you Lois Lang, to be my wife, to have and to hold for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, from this day forward, until death do us part." Bruce then slipped the gold wedding band onto Lois' left ring finger.

Lois had only a moment to marvel at her ring before it was her turn to swear to Bruce before God, the bishop, and their esteemed guests. "I, Lois Lang, take you Bruce Wayne, to be my husband, to have and to hold for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, from this day forward, until death do us part." Lois then slipped a gold ring onto Bruce's left ring finger.

The rest of the service passed by in a blur for the Lois and Lana, as both women were teared up and on the verge of crying. Soon enough, the bishop place Lois' hand in Bruce's and turned them to face the crowd before he said, "It is my great privilege to introduce to you the Baron and Baroness of Roskilde, Lord Bruce Wayne and his wife, Lady Lois Wayne."

The crowd rose as one and showered the new couple with cheers and applause as they walked back down the aisle, this time together, with Kal-El and Lana right behind them, as Lana still had to handle Lois' lengthy train. Alicia was right behind Lana, but all she had to occupy her were her thoughts of Lois and the short and simple ceremony she'd just witnessed…until the she neared the back of the chapel and saw a formal uniform she hadn't seen since the Harvest Ball back in the palace in Varshova all those months ago.

Alicia slowed her pace and blinked her eyes once, then twice, but still the uniform remained as she remembered. It, too, was red and black, but much different in style from the new uniform Bruce was wearing. This uniform was red and black with silver trim on the jacket's stiff collar and all across its chest. Alicia finally risked a look up, daring to hope the face would also be as remembered. She was rewarded with the first glimpse she'd had of _her_ prince since leaving their rented manor house in Krakovia months earlier. Her heart leapt and her suddenly scrambled mind had room for only one giddy thought: _Harold!_


	88. Chapter 88

Chapter 88

The Wedding Feast

The bridal couple, their attendants, and the rest of the witnesses headed directly for the castle's Great Hall, which had been carefully decked out for this moment. Massive fireplaces on both sides of the room roared, keeping the room warm, and pine torches set in highly reflective wall sconces added a merry light. The walls were decorated with more of the ivy, holly, and mistletoe that had been present in the chapel, and the long, wooden trestle tables that filled the room were draped with snow white linens.

As Lord Bruce and his new wife Lady Lois led their guests into the Great Hall, Bruce's chamberlain directed a bevy of servants to lead the guests to their assigned seats. Bruce and Lois took the center seats at the head table, and normally, they would have alternated men and women from there in a somewhat random order, but knowing both that Prince Harold was expected, and that Alicia would be crazy unless she got to talk to him, Lois had talked to Bruce and had the head table rearranged so that couples were seated together.

Alicia had known about the new couples arrangement ahead of time, but not that Prince Harold was expected to be in attendance, so she had been expecting to sit with her father, as Bruce had only had Kal-El standing up with him during the service. When she reached the head table, she was directed by the new Lady Wayne to sit on Bruce's left and when she saw her father escorting an unknown lady to a pair of seats on the other side of Prince Kal-El and Lana, Alicia began to hope…and when a somewhat sheepish Prince Harold was escorted to the head table, it was all the girl could to restrain herself from leaping to her feet and waving him over to her.

Good things come to those who wait - in this case anyway - as the servant held the empty chair next to Alicia and helped seat Prince Harold right next to her. Suddenly, Alicia's appetite went from voracious to nonexistent, and she couldn't quite make her eyes meet his. Very conscious of the fact that Alicia had three blood relatives sitting at the table with her - one of which was his hostess - Harold was extra careful with what he said and did.

"Hello, Alicia," Harold said. "I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to see you again."

"Hi, Harold," Alicia replied, as finally ventured a look at his face, only to shyly look away from him again. "I was beginning to think I'd never hear from you again." She bit her lower lip and then continued, determined to say what was on her mind. "I noticed the lack of letters from you after our family left Krakovia."

"That's true. I owe you a profound apology for that and an explanation, but we don't have the time for those things right now. Please allow me the chance to set things straight after the meal."

"When our time is our own and we don't have an audience?"

"Exactly," Harold said.

"I'll think about it," Alicia said, "but I won't make any promises."

Internally, Alicia was as excited as she could possibly be, but she hadn't been lying when she said she hadn't received a single letter from Prince Harold in the months since she, Lewis, and Lois had left Krakovia to return to Roskilde. That was a long time for any woman, but more so for a fifteen-year-old young woman who was new to romance. Alicia fully intended to give Harold his chance, but she wanted to make him sweat a little first. She thought he needed to know she wasn't to be taken for granted.

The wedding feast itself commenced almost as soon as the last guest was seated. Bruce stood, and thanked them all for honoring his lady wife - he gestured at Lois - and himself by making the arduous journey to this distant outpost of the kingdom. Once Bruce had thanked the guests, he looked at his chamberlain and nodded. That was all it took for a seeming flood of servants to rush in with the first course of the meal. When everyone had been served, Lois rose and stood next to her husband to perform her role as hostess.

"Be welcome, and enjoy the bounty of our table," Lois said. "Everyone please eat."

The dinner had many courses and barrel upon barrel of wine to drink; thus fueled, the celebration lasted from late afternoon well into the evening. There were many toasts to the health and happiness of the newlyweds, toasts that tended to become slurred over time. Kal-El couldn't get drunk even if he wanted to, and Lana was being very careful to drink small portions of well-watered wine as she ate. She well knew that a lady in her position couldn't afford to bring shame on the royal family, her betrothed, or herself. But there were enough of the other celebrants who _didn't_ mind what they did to keep things lively for all.

Kal-El and Lana had one more official duty that night, and that was to decide when it was time to end things so the ladies present could take Lois off to prepare for bed. It was their job because they were the ones who'd stood up with the newlyweds as their best man and maid of honor, but both of them leaned on Lana's father's experience to help them decide.

Lewis paid close attention, wanting to balance the desires of the crowd to celebrate with the need for people who could still walk and talk well enough to help his eldest daughter and his new son-in-law get into bed together with a minimum of fuss. When he'd seen enough, he leaned over and tapped Lana on the shoulder.

"Hmm?" Lana asked, when she'd turned to Lewis.

"It's time," Lewis replied.

That was all he needed to say. Lana nudged Kal-El and passed on her father's judgment, and then he stood and raised his voice enough to get everyone's attention. Once the dull roar of conversation had subsided, Lana stood, and said, "Ladies, it's time we take my sister upstairs. She needs to be made ready to receive her lord and master." Lana wanted to snicker at the very idea of any man thinking he was Lois' master, but this wording was an old tradition in what was still a very traditional land…her own rise to prominence notwithstanding.

That was the formal signal for the women to rise and escort Lois from the room. For some of the ladies, that was as far as they went before retiring to a smaller room which was set up for their comfort as they gossiped, snacked, and had the kinds of conversations that women can't really have in the presence of men. High on the list of topics that everyone talked about was how Lady Lois would do in performing this most essential wifely duty. Some of the more drunk women even ventured to say that after getting a good, long look at Lord Bruce, they wouldn't mind taking her place in the marriage bed.

Thankfully for everyone involved, Lois wasn't able to hear that, as she and her escorts were now approaching her rooms. Lana, Alicia, and several other women Lois had become close to over the winter had guided her down the halls, teasing her about what was to come all the while. The married women in their midst were both the most vocal and the most explicit. Lois knew the mechanics of what was to happen, but that didn't help her with her nerves. This was the beginning of her primary job: to produce a male heir, and at least a couple of spares.

The idea of having children was one Lois hadn't even seriously thought about until she began to become serious about Bruce. While she'd admitted to her sisters that she'd always been interested in the idea of sex, she'd always found the thought of becoming a mother to be rather intimidating, especially given the way women tended to die in her family. She knew her father had been married three times already and that none of his wives had survived very long after giving birth. It was just another piece of information to think about; one that she and Lana had talked over a lot recently.

But those fears were for another day. Today, she had married the man of her dreams, and as the ladies helped her out of her wedding dress and into a nightgown, her mind was racing with thoughts about what she and Bruce were about to do.

The men, meanwhile, had taken advantage of the absence of the women to draw in closer to Bruce. While the ladies had been fairly light in their teasing of Lois, the men were much more explicit and brutal as they went after Bruce. They made all sorts of comments, ranging from wondering how he could possibly _hope_ to please his new wife with such small 'equipment,' to what a waste it was for such a beautiful young woman to be the bride of such a decrepit old man. Bruce took all the comments about himself with humor and good grace, while not even the drunkest among the men was stupid enough to make a teasing comment about Lois.

Once Lois was dressed, she climbed into bed, and her sisters went to work on arranging her hair on the pillow just so for Bruce's entrance, while a couple of the other ladies went back down to the Great Hall to inform the men that it was time for Bruce to prepare himself to do his duty.

Bruce had been careful to moderate his alcohol intake during the lengthy meal, as he knew the old saying that 'strong drink giveth the desire, but taketh away the ability.' He was not about to be drunk and unable to perform on his wedding night. No way.

Now, as he rose to his feet, most of the men abused him with one last torrent of good-natured, intentionally useless tips on pleasing his wife, while Kal-El and a few other friends rose with him to follow him up to his room. He didn't _need _any help, but this was a tradition, one that passed in silence as Bruce quickly undressed and pulled on a heavy nightshirt.

Only when Bruce was dressed and ready did he show anything other than quiet confidence, and then, the small crowd around Bruce could see a bit of apprehension on his face.

"What's wrong, Old Man?" Kal-El chuckled.

"Can't get it up?" another man, know to one and all as Brankovic, wondered aloud. That caused snickers from several other men in the group, and brought a sharp retort from Bruce.

"Maybe if I had married _your _sister, Brankovic," the newly married baron shot back. "I can't imagine having to service _her." _The guys laughed in turn at Bruce's comeback, as there was a running debate amongst the single men at court over which one of them would end up marrying the less than pleasant, less than beautiful girl just to get his hands on her rather sizable dowry. "Come on now men, lead me to my bride before Brankovic forgets how unattractive his sister truly is and decides to challenge me over the matter."

Kal-El decided Bruce was right. They'd better get him alone with Lois before the already rough teasing escalated into something more. Looking at Brankovic's red face, Kal-El surmised that the only two things keeping him from challenging Bruce on the spot were Bruce's underserved reputation as a vicious killer and the fact that this was his wedding day.

Both of those were true, but unbeknownst to Kal-El, Brankovic had another reason: he was one of the many men at court who had suddenly decided Lady Alicia would make a suitable wife, and he figured that trying to kill her brother-in-law was not the way to interest either her father or herself.

The walk from the lord's sleeping quarters to those of his lady wife was short, and soon Kal-El was knocking sharply on the oaken door.

"Who is it?" came the somewhat muffled words from inside. Kal-El didn't know who spoke them, only that it wasn't either Lana or Alicia.

"We've brought Lord Bruce to lie with his wife and do his duty by her," Kal-El replied.

The door opened.

"Then let him come in."

Bruce left his male escort and was led to the middle of the room, where Lana and Alicia met him.

"You may be thinking of Lois as the brash, confident woman you've always known," Lana said very quietly, "but tonight, she's nervous. Though she won't say it directly, I think she's worried about pleasing you."

"She pleases me already," Bruce replied, as he looked over Lana's shoulder and saw his wife in her bed. "I don't think she could ever _not_ please me."

"Then let her know that, Bruce," Alicia said.

Lana nodded in agreement. "Give her a little reassurance. Help her to relax."

"Okay. I think I can do that." And thus saying, Bruce moved past his sisters-in-law and moved bedside. "Hi, Lois."

"Hi, Bruce. Time to make a baby?"

"If we're lucky, but what I'm _here for_ is to make love with you. A baby would just be a bonus." He gestured at the open space in her large bed. "May I join you?"

"Please do," Lois answered.

The room had already emptied of watchers by the time Bruce had started talking to Lois, and everyone except for Lana, Alicia, and Kal-El had gone on ahead to rejoin the other celebrants. The only reason Kal-El and Lana hadn't joined them was because Alicia had held them back.

"What's up, Alicia?" Lana asked. Kal-El just took Lana's hand and listened.

"I…I want your help. Both of you."

"Whatever you need, you'll get," Lana assured her.

Kal-El figured Lana's statement covered him, too, so he didn't say anything, but after Lana gently elbowed him in the gut, he spoke up. "Oh, yes, I'll be pleased to help."

"Thanks." Alicia was so distracted by what she was thinking about that she hadn't noticed Lana elbowing Kal-El, and Kal-El wasn't quite sure she'd heard him anyway. "What I need is for you two to be my escort, my chaperones you might say, when I have a private talk with Harold tomorrow."

"What happened between you two during the meal?" Lana asked excitedly.

Alicia relayed how they'd talked and how she'd made it clear that Harold had some work to do to get back in her good graces. Then she said, "Any woman could do if all I wanted was someone to protect my reputation, but I want you two there for support. I'm not always as strong as I should be, and I'm afraid if he gets me off alone with no one but a maid watching us, he'll turn on the charm and I'll melt into his arms without the slightest apology or explanation from him."

When Alicia finished, she was quite emotional and Lana quickly pulled her younger sister into her arms for a fierce hug. Kal-El watched the two remaining Lang sisters and wondered what Harry had done. _Maybe he is just a jackass when it comes to women. I know Mara would agree with that assessment._

Later that evening, when the party was finally breaking up and everyone was returning to their accommodations for the night, Kal-El pulled Lana aside just long enough for Lana to catch him up on the state of things between Alicia and Harold.

"I think she's in love with him," Lana said, "but once she left Krakovia, she didn't get a single letter from him. Not even after we came to the palace for the winter. It had to have felt to her like he had been toying with her affections and that once she was gone, he had forgotten all about her."

"And yet she still loves him." When Kal-El said it, it was a statement, not a question. He'd seen the emotional distress on Alicia's face and had known just what this meant to the girl.

"Prince or not," Kal-El said darkly, "he'd better be begging on his knees if he expects her to take him back. To not even write…" Kal-El rand a hand through his unruly curls. "I was in the middle of a _war_ and I found time to write to you. Thinking of you and of what was happening with you drove me to distraction, and yet Harry, who was safe and secure at home, couldn't be _bothered_ to write? That's a bunch of crap. You don't treat the woman you love like that."


	89. Chapter 89

Chapter 89

A Quiet Meal

The morning after the wedding, the castle's guests shared a quiet breakfast in the Great Hall. Now that at least half of the seats were empty, the room seemed almost cavernous compared to how crowded it had been during the wedding feast. Kal-El and Lana had claimed a corner for themselves, and anyone who thought to intrude on their solitude quickly chose another place to sit after the prince glared at them. Lana giggled after the fourth time that happened, which earned her a look of slightly strained patience.

"What did I do?" Lana asked.

"Is wanting some time alone with you too much to ask?" Kal-El grumbled. "It's bad enough these people can't let us eat in peace, but I'd at least thought _you_ would be supporting me."

Lana knew she was just a convenient target for Kal-El's irritation over the interruptions, but after a moment's reflection she thought it might be good for her to explain. "I _do," _she replied, "but you just looked so fierce when you glared at whoever walked up, and they invariably jumped like they were afraid you'd hurt them."

Kal-El's eyebrows rose. "Oh? I didn't notice."

"Of course not. You're too bleary eyed this morning to notice much of anything, which is funny, because I always thought you couldn't get drunk."

"I can't normally, which is what I was thinking all during the feast, as I drank that decent red wine Bruce was serving."

"But…?" Lana asked.

"But you're still wearing that training medallion I gave you for protection. I'm so used to my powers fading away when I'm near you that I forgot that also means alcohol can affect me."

Lana leaned in to check Kal-El's eyes. "Did you get drunk?"

"I don't think so." Kal-El thought for a few moments. "Not stinking drunk anyway, as I don't remember having slurred speech or any trouble with physical coordination."

"Me neither." Lana patted his forearm. "But you _are_ slightly hungover. That explains why you're so gruff this morning."

"Not to you though."

"No," she conceded, "somehow I get nothing but love from you."

"Heh," Kal-El chuckled. "Sometimes I think the love I show you is merely a poor reflection of what you shower me with." Before Lana could voice her protest, Kal-El added, "But I do love you so very much, Lana."

"See?" Lana said triumphantly. "You made my point for me. Who was first to profess love today? You were, and you usually are." Lana leaned her shoulder against Kal-El's shoulder and wrapped her arms around his. "I love you, too, Kal." She squeezed his arm. "You can't know how jealous the women of the court are that you love me, and that you are so willing to make sure I know it. And believe me, that second part is as important as the first part."

Kal-El closed his eyes and luxuriated in the knowledge that he loved, and was loved by, the finest woman he knew. Some might think him lucky to have Kryptonian abilities, or to be a crown prince, or to have wealth almost beyond imagining, and he wouldn't disagree on any of those points, but he was certain his greatest luck had been running into a grubby 'stable girl' and giving her some horses to look after. She'd taken the horses, and soon after, had taken his heart as well.

"As far as the hangover goes," Kal-El finally murmured, "I can get rid of it pretty easily once we leave here. All I have to do is step away from you and get a bit of direct sunlight. That's the theory anyway, but I've never been hungover before, so I've never gotten to test the idea."

Then Kal-El opened his eyes and looked down at Lana. "You know, I'm going to have to speak to Mother when we get back about putting you and me through 'the procedure' as soon as possible."

"Why?"

"It just occurred to me that while your training medallion keeps you safe from being messed with by Kryptonians, it puts me in real danger every time you're near me."

Lana sat up straight and immediately tried to wrench the medallion from around her neck, but Kal-El held her arms down at her side. "Stop it, Kal! Stop it!" she shouted. "Let me take the damned thing off!"

The hall was only half full, but everyone in it turned briefly to look at Lana as she screamed. When they realized it was a personal matter between the prince and his lady, they quickly returned to their own meals and conversations, because while everyone wanted to know the prince's business, no one wanted to be caught looking.

Meanwhile, Lana was still struggling against Kal-El. In her mind, she was imagining a torrent of scenarios where people who sought to harm her beloved Kal were able to succeed because of her nearness to him, and she couldn't stand it. She kept trying to raise her arms, and rid herself of the medallion, but he wouldn't allow it. When he started rocking Lana from side to side on the hard wooden bench while trying to soothe her by whispering quietly into her ear, she broke down and began to cry, once again leaning against his shoulder.

"You know I'll take it off and throw it away once you're out of sight," Lana sobbed, "so quit fighting me, you big bully."

"If you do, I'll borrow another from Bruce's swordmaster, and wear it everywhere I go. At least that way, you'll be protected whenever you're near me."

"You fool!" Lana hissed. Her anger at Kal-El's stupidity was growing by leaps and bounds and quickly leapt past the strength of her initial emotional reaction. "You can't afford to do that. In case you've forgotten, you are more important to the kingdom than I am."

Kal-El hated that she'd made this argument, mostly because it was one he couldn't refute. He knew as well as Lana did that if she died, he would be crushed, but the kingdom would move on. If he died, on the other hand, it would cause chaos that would end with his parents forced to divorce, and his father having to marry a girl who would likely be not much older than Mara, just to give him the best chance of fathering heirs.

There was also the likelihood, which Lana hadn't mentioned yet, that the threat to her was one of humiliation, with the goal of preventing her from marrying him. The threat to him was generally judged to be slim, but it was definitely of the life-threatening variety.

"I could have gone all day without being called a fool, but when you're right, you're right," Kal-El said ruefully. "_But,_ you're not taking that off until we can get a lead-lined box to store it in. If we give it to a servant now, there's no telling who might end up with it…and that someone could use it against me when I wasn't expecting it.

"And as for why I gave you this thing in the first place…I guess I'm just used to being invulnerable. When I gave you the medallion, I knew being near you would take away my abilities, but it never occurred to me that I would also lose my protection." Kal-El turned fully toward Lana and took both of her hands in his. "I made a mistake, a big mistake. I never should have given you this medallion and put you into the position of putting me at risk just by wearing it. It was a ridiculously thoughtless thing to do on my part and I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?"

Gone were Lana's tears. All that was left for Kal-El to see on her face was a tremulous smile. "Yes, of course I'll forgive you. Especially when you ask so nicely." She caught sight of Alicia out of the corner of her eye and added, "We can only hope Harold apologizes half so well to Alicia." Then she looked around the room for Harold, but didn't see him. "Where is he?"

"Walking," Kal-El said, "and thinking."

"About Alicia?"

"Sort of…more like thinking about how he'll try to apologize."

"How do you know that?" Lana asked.

"I ran into him on the way down. It seems it occurred to him just this morning that this may be his one and only chance to make things right with Alicia."

"Did you offer him any encouragement?"

"No," Kal-El replied, "he screwed up, so I think he should have to sweat it out on his own. The only person who should be offering him encouragement right now is Alicia, and only when she thinks he's earned it."

Lana and Kal-El each took a sip of from their cups and sat quietly for a moment. He was contemplating what his old friend Harry was facing, but she was thinking about something different.

"Kal?" Lana asked, as she looked up and fluttered her eyelashes at him in a very dewy, doe-like manner. It was a look that had always worked on her father. She had hopes her future husband was just as susceptible.

"Hmm?" Kal-El looked down into Lana's eyes, and could feel himself being sucked in. He didn't know what she was about to ask for, but he had a feeling it was going to be big…he also had a feeling he was going to be granting her request, no matter what it was.

"Do you think you could fly up to the palace and ask your mother to fly back here with you so we could do 'the procedure' here? Because once that's done, we won't have to worry anymore about what might happen if I do or don't wear that thing." As Kal-El mulled over Lana's proposal, she added, in a small, hopeful voice, "Besides, I've been _itching_ to fly again ever since you took me for that first flight back in Krakovia."

"Hmm…Mother won't be swayed by arguments about either romance or convenience…but _safety_ concerns will make flames start licking her fingertips." Kal-El smiled as he remembered the night Sir Bruce had led his new squire away from the summer palace. His mother had torched two tall trees as a warning to the knight about what would happen to him if her son was not returned to her in the shape in which he was being sent out. Kal-El reflected that his mother could be difficult at times, but when her family was in danger, everything else became secondary.

"Flames licking her fingertips?" Lana asked.

"Not _literally, _but she does like to make use of flame," Kal-El replied, "just ask Bruce. During my magic training, she always said fire was one of the showiest things that could be done with magic. She said the fear and respect everyone has for fire makes it easy to use it to _reinforce_ important points."

"Reinforce? You mean make threats."

"I prefer the term _promises _in Mother's case. She always follows through on what she said she would do after someone crosses her." Kal-El used a fingertip to stir the crumbs of his breakfast on his plate. "After we support Alicia during her meeting with Harry, I'll go see Mother. But keep your schedule clear for the rest of the day. If Mother decides we need to do this, she may come back with me and do it tonight."


	90. Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Chaperones

Alicia, Lana, and Kal-El stood together on one side of the audience chamber that her father had used when wanting to make a meeting feel more personal than was possible in the spacious Great Hall. Alicia had tasked a servant with finding Harold and escorting him back to the audience chamber, and the three of them were talking quietly while they waited.

"You'll do fine," Lana assured her sister. "Just remember that _he's _the one that's in the wrong here."

"Harry's basically a good guy," Kal-El added. "But like me, he's not used to having to explain himself very often, so he may be a little bit awkward."

"In that case, awkward's okay," Alicia replied, "in fact, it may be preferred." When both Lana and Kal-El raised their eyebrows at that, Alicia said, "If he's being awkward, then maybe he's not going off some script he's prepared beforehand."

Lana nodded her head in agreement, as she wondered at how maturely her little sister was reacting to this whole thing. She'd half expected Alicia to race into Prince Harold's arms as soon as she saw him, and then she'd sort of expected Alicia to accept any attempt at an apology that the prince managed to make, but now it was clear that Alicia was serious about this. Lana realized this Alicia was not quite the same girl as the one that had traveled to the royal palace at the beginning of winter.

Lana was chagrined to realize she'd spent so much time with Kal-El and on her various duties that she hadn't spent much time with her sisters. Lois had obviously been busy with Bruce, but she had little idea how Alicia had been spending her time. All Lana knew for sure was that a winter in the big city had helped her sister grow up. She wondered if Prince Harold had any idea this was not the same Alicia he'd last seen several months ago. _If not, _Lana thought, _he's in for a rude awakening. _

Harold made his way into the room a few minutes later. Alicia's eyes lit up upon seeing him, but she quickly mastered her emotions and turned to Lana and Kal-El to say, "Wish me luck!"

"You don't need it; not now." Lana said. Kal-El just smiled supportively and slid an arm around Lana's shoulders. Alicia walked far enough away from Lana and Kal-El to gain some privacy and then waited. She was going to make Harold come to her.

When Alicia had walked far enough to be out of hearing range, Kal-El put his lips near Lana's ear and asked, "Would you like me to listen in on their conversation?"

Lana's first reaction - the reaction of a protective older sister - was to say yes. She wanted to know what the prince said in case he tried to pull a fast one, but that thought didn't last long. Alicia had shown remarkable maturity in dealing with Prince Harold to this point; Lana figured Alicia had earned the right to be allowed to handle this by herself. Still, if Alicia decided she needed support, she knew Kal-El and Lana were ready. _That will have to be enough, _Lana thought.

"No, don't listen in," Lana said at last.

"Okay, she's your sister."

As Harold approached Alicia, his head was held high and he favored her with a confident grin, but he couldn't keep his hands still, and that was a dead giveaway to Kal-El. "See the way Harry's twisting his hands?"

"Yeah. What about it?" Lana replied.

"That just confirms he's really nervous about this."

"Good. Alicia deserves someone who appreciates her."

Lana and Kal-El settled in to watch as Harold offered Alicia his arm. She accepted it and together they walked to the far end of the room to gain a little more privacy.

"Thank you for seeing me, Alicia," Harold said, as he turned to face her. "I am sorry." The words were said slowly and carefully by a man who was not used to needing to apologize or explain much of anything to anyone. "As a man who has strong feelings for you, and who hopes those feelings will grow into something more, I should have written you, _often, _to keep the embers of our relationship alive. Instead, I am ashamed to admit I allowed palace politics and my own indecision to keep me from writing.

"There is nothing to excuse my behavior, nothing to absolve me of responsibility. I made a mistake that hurt you, and for that, I am sorry." Harold sank to one knee then, surprising everyone in the room. "Will you forgive me and allow me another chance to show how much you mean to me?"

Alicia was stunned into silence. She had steeled herself for some big snow job about how he had been prevented from writing to her, but his abject apology had just cut the legs out from under her. Harold waited breathlessly on bended knee, as she struggled to calm her thoughts. Even Lana and Kal-El were paying close attention at this point.

"What do you think he said?" Lana murmured.

"No idea," Kal-El replied. "You _told_ me to not listen, remember?" Lana was tempted to elbow Kal-El in the gut, but settled for rolling her eyes. "But seeing Harry on his knees makes me think he's begging for mercy."

"Poor Alicia looks shocked."

Alicia swallowed hard and gathered her composure. "I don't know if I can, Harold. You hurt me…hurt me a lot. I waited day after day for some token of your regard. At first, I assumed I hadn't received anything because we left Roskilde for Königsberg too soon for the mail to catch up to us. And when nothing came to me at the palace, I told myself that the winter weather was slowing your letters. But neither excuse was true. I was just fooling myself.

"I understand the politics of royal marriages; spending this winter in the palace has been eye-opening in that regard. I know now that your father was unlikely to allow us to be together, but…_damn you!_…you could have said something. After a few months of waiting, I began to give up hope." Tears were filling Alicia's eyes, as she quietly said, "All you had to do was send one little note telling me what was going on and why we couldn't be together. That's all I would have required."

"Please…" Harold pled, as he reached out and grasped Alicia's hands. "I know I messed up and don't deserve a second chance, but what do _you_ want? Don't choose for me. Choose for you. What do you want, Alicia?"

When Harold put it to Alicia like that, her choice was easier. "I want a man who wants me more anything. I want the man I thought you were back in Krakovia. I really do." Harold ventured a hopeful smile, but Alicia continued to speak. "So I'll give you another chance, the same chance every other noble in the kingdom has. Prove yourself to me, Harold. Win me all over again."

Lana and Kal-El watched with bated breath as Harold rose to his feet. When he offered Alicia his arm and they walked back to where their 'chaperones' were waiting, the tears in both of their eyes were plain to see.

"What happened?" Lana asked anxiously.

"No hug…maybe she dumped him," Kal-El replied. He couldn't read the expression on Harry's face as he and Alicia approached. "Maybe I should go with Harry while you talk to Alicia."

"Good idea. I'll meet you in the Great Hall for lunch."

"Do you think Bruce and Lois will have left their bed in time for lunch?"

"Kal!" Lana exclaimed, "we're _supposed_ to pretend they don't exist until they come back amongst us."

"I know. I know," Kal-El said. "It's not polite to mention the newlyweds for fear of mentioning what they are doing." He grumbled lightly and then added, "It's a stupid tradition."

Lana was kept from replying by the arrival of Alicia and Harold.

"Harold and I have reached an understanding," Alicia said. "He apologized, and I decided to give him the chance to win me back."

"And I," Harold said, as he gave Alicia a grateful look, "am happy to have that chance."

Lana took Alicia then and headed off to find somewhere private and comfortable so they could have a some much-needed girl talk. Kal-El waited with Harry and watched the two Lang women disappear from their sight.

"Good job," Kal-El said. "I thought you might mess that up. What did you say?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "When you have no defense, the only way forward is the truth. I told her I messed up and pleaded for another chance."

Kal-El folded his hands behind his back. "I don't have so much experience with women that I feel like I can give you much in the way of advice, so I'll limit myself to this: don't ruin this chance; I suspect it's your last one."

"Oh, I don't intend to waste a moment." Harry peered up at Kal-El. "In fact, with your kind permission, I intend to return with your party to the palace. Officially, I'm staying in Alemannia to attend your wedding, but I fully intend to use those six months to pursue Lady Alicia. One way or another, she'll know what I feel. I can only hope that's enough."

"I've got one more piece of advice, Harry."

"Oh? What?"

"Go to your room and write her a love letter and hand it to her just before we leave for home tomorrow morning," Kal-El said. "Pour out your heart to her. Give her something she can read, savor, and reread all the way home."

"That sounds good, Kal. Thanks. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Keep writing her all the way home. Keep her on her toes. Make her wonder what you'll do for her next." Harry grinned in anticipation of beginning his campaign to win Alicia's heart. "Look at this trip back to the palace as a headstart for you to win her back."

Meanwhile, Lana and Alicia had found a suitable room and had sent off for a pot of piping hot tea to sip on while they chatted. A merry fire burned brightly in the fireplace, and the girls sank into a pair of comfy chairs.

"So," Lana began, "tell me what happened."

Alicia was proud of herself for standing up to the prince and happily related every moment to Lana in loving detail. Lana stopped her a couple of times to ask questions, but she mostly provided a rapt audience of one for Alicia. When the story came to the end, a servant showed up with a tray of tea, sugar, spoons, and cups. Once the girls had made their cups the way they wanted, they returned to Alicia's story.

"That was a very shrewd compromise, Alicia. Very nice. Halfway between taking him back and kicking his behind out the door." Lana took a sip of her hot tea. "I'm proud of you, and Father will be, too."

"Thanks," Alicia replied. Before she could fully bask in her older sister's approval, the mention of their father brought another idea to mind. "Who was that woman he was with at the wedding dinner? She wasn't with us on the trip down here."

"No, she wasn't, and I don't know who she is either." Lana shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "He's an adult, and he's been alone for well over ten years. Now that Lois and I are spoken for, and he only has one daughter left to marry off, maybe he's finally looking after his own needs."

The two girls sipped their tea and traded comments on the wedding until something that had been bothering Alicia finally came to the forefront of her mind. "You don't think Father has…"

Lana quickly picked up on Alicia's concern, and finished the sentence her more delicate sister had been unable to complete. "…has slept with one or more of those widows he's been seeing?" Both girls shivered at the thought of their father doing that with anyone, whether that person was his wife or not. "Next subject please. _Quickly!"_


	91. Chapter 91

Chapter 91

The Procedure

Lord Bruce and Lady Lois didn't come down from their bridal bedroom until late-afternoon. Lana later found out they'd had a massive lunch sent up to their room, a happening that had been the cause of much mirth amongst the guests, especially the older ones who could still remember that first morning. The older guests had been chuckling and making quiet comments about how Lord Bruce was likely going to _need_ that much food to regain his strength if his young bride was keeping him occupied for that long.

Bruce and Lois hosted another sumptuous evening meal for their guests. This one was a farewell feast since most of the guests were leaving for their homes, or for the royal court, in the morning. Lana and Kal-El, however, were not able to attend the farewell dinner, as Kal-El returned with his mother in tow less than an hour before the meal.

Annoyed by her son's stupidity in giving Lana the training medallion in the first place, and secretly annoyed at herself for not picking up on the security risks herself, Queen Lara arrived in what could only be described as a foul mood.

Even by her standards.

That bad mood did_ not,_ however, extend to Lana. Lara had worked hard at improving her relations with her son's intended bride and had no interest in damaging that fragile relationship with an intemperate remark. Plus, she admired the forceful stand Lana had taken with regard to Kal-El's asinine insistence that she continue to wear the damned thing. Everyone else got the rough side of her tongue, however, and Kal-El was most definitely on top of that list.

"Come on, Boy," she growled at her son. "Go find Lady Lana so we can be about our business." Lara nervously fingered a small lead box as Kal-El disappeared into the castle proper in a flash.

While Lana was waiting for Kal-El to return with his mother, she was in her room with Alicia, where the two of them had been talking about Lois for some time now and had just started in on Harold. "He's been locked away in his room all afternoon, Lana," Alicia said. "You'd think he'd be out here trying to win me back. Maybe…maybe he just doesn't want me that strongly."

Lana could hear the fear in Alicia's voice, and she did what she could to soothe her without revealing any confidences. "I think he's busy with something important," Lana said. "Something you may very well like."

"What?" Alicia asked eagerly. "You know something! Tell me!"

"Sorry, Kal told me what little I know, and I promised him that I wouldn't tell anyone," Lana said. "I only told you what I did because I know you're still hurting." Lana patted Alicia on the shoulders. "Trust me. Your Harold isn't done with you yet."

Just then the girls heard a rapid knocking on the door. When they called out to give permission to enter, a maid stepped into the room. Lana then signaled for the maid to speak.

"Lady Lana, His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Kal-El, commanded me to tell you that it is time." The message didn't make any sense to the maid, but she was used to the weirdness of the nobility.

Lana, of course, knew exactly what Kal-El was referring to. Talking with Alicia all this time had been a fun way to catch up with her little sister, but it had also been a way for Lana to take her mind off of the possible arrival of the queen and what that would mean for her.

Lana rose from her seat. Alicia rose with her, and asked a question she'd been dying to ask ever since she'd learned about this procedure to which Lana was going to be subjected. "So…if this procedure thingy works out as planned, then you'll come back as strong and as fast as one of them?"

"Yes," Lana replied. "As I understand it, I will _be _one of them, abilities and all."

"Will you be able to perform magic spells?"

"I guess so," Lana replied. "Kal says he and his father rarely use their magic abilities, as the use of their energy for spells reduces the energy they have available for their physical abilities." She saw the maid almost bouncing on her toes with nervousness. _Oh yeah, _Lana thought, _she's nervous because I'm keeping the prince waiting. _"Sorry, Alicia, I've gotta go."

The sisters kissed each other's cheeks and then hugged fiercely, before Alicia spoke one last time. "I'm so afraid you're going to be as different in your thoughts and actions as you'll be in your body."

"You and Father share the same worry; one for which there is no foundation," Lana assured Alicia. "I'll still be Lana; I'll still be your sister. Nothing's going to change the person I am, except to change me for the better."

Lana kissed Alicia's cheek one more time and then left her to head toward Kal-El and her new life. She'd seen her father briefly before retiring to her room with Alicia, and he had been much more worried about the upcoming procedure than Alicia was. His concern over her suffering a possible personality change had just been the tip of the iceberg for him. Lana replayed the last part of that conversation in her mind as she went to meet Kal.

"It seems like only yesterday that you were a brand new baby being held up for my inspection," Lewis said, as he clasped Lana's shoulders and looked down proudly into her eyes. "I insisted on taking you into my arms, and was able to hold you in the crook of one arm. You were so _small!_ During the years since then, I've wondered what would become of you, wondered who would see the special girl you became, wondered who would be worthy enough for me to give you to…but never did I dream this. My baby girl is in line to be the next Queen of Alemannia…my grandson will one day be king. And today, my not-so-little Lana will take the first irrevocable step on that path." Lewis leaned in and kissed Lana in the middle of her forehead. "This is all rather sudden," he admitted. "I wasn't expecting this 'procedure' to happen until just before the wedding."

"Are you anxious, Father?" Lana asked.

"About something other than how this transformation might change who you are as a person?" Lewis asked. "More than you can ever know, Lana Bear…at least until you've had that first child of your own."

"Lana Bear? You haven't called me that for _years." _Lana smiled fondly at the sudden childhood memory. "Why did you ever start calling me that anyway?"

"You were always so protective of your little sister - even though you weren't much larger than she was - that you made me think of a mama bear guarding her cubs. The nannies could never get you to go to bed until Alicia was asleep." Lewis suddenly pulled Lana into his arms to give her a fierce hug, while Lana hugged him back just as hard. "You're going to be such a great mother."

It took Lana a few moments to realize Lewis was shaking, but it wasn't until she heard a muffled sob that she realized her father, the man who'd been her source of strength for as long as she could remember, was falling to pieces in her arms. Lana held on tight to her father and became _his_ strength for a change, his rock to hold on to.

"Promise me something, Lana," Lewis begged.

"Anything."

"Promise me that when you go to perform this procedure…" Lewis' voice cracked and he choked back another sob. "Just promise me you'll come back alive. I've lost three wives; I can't afford to lose you, too."

"I promise," Lana said. She had no idea how to ease her father's fears; she supposed worrying about your children was a permanent condition for a parent. That made her wonder what kind of parent she was going to be. Was her father right? Would she be as good with her kids as he had been with her and her sisters? The one thing Lana _did_ know was that Kal-El was going to be a _wonderful_ father.

When Lana left the women's quarters and reached Kal-El, he snapped her out of her memories by pulling her to him and giving her a thorough kissing. "Something on your mind other than becoming a Kryptonian?" Kal-El asked, when they moved back to catch their breath.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Because you were distracted enough to forget to bring your fur robe, Lana," Kal-El pointed out. "There's no way you'll survive the extremely cold temperatures you'll be exposed to while we travel unless you're wearing a thick fur robe."

Lana already knew why they needed to travel to perform the procedure. The queen was going to use up all of her power to cast the lightning spell that would start the procedure, but to do so, she needed to be near a bank of storm clouds so that conditions in the sky would be just right for the spell.

The maid that had come to get Lana scurried back to her room to collect her fur robe. Once Lana had it in her hands, and had thanked the girl, she and Kal-El made a beeline for the main courtyard just inside the castle gates where Queen Lara was waiting. Having lived in the castle all of her life, Lana knew the most direct route - which was through the kitchens - and used it to get back to the queen faster. Lana's need for speed didn't have anything to do with the queen's temper - Clark hadn't told her about that yet - but because she was super anxious to get started.

When Lana and Kal-El burst into the courtyard, they were spotted immediately by Lara, who looked at her son and said, "Go find us a likely storm while Lana and I stand here and chat."

"Yes, Mother," Kal-El replied, before leaning down to collect a kiss from his lady love. "Mother's as mad at me over this mistake of mine as you were earlier," he whispered.

"That bad, huh?"

"Worse. You at least let me apologize. Mother, on the other hand, just won't let it go." He kissed Lana once more. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Don't let Mother get to you."

Kal-El stepped a few feet away from Lana and launched himself into the air. Lana watched in awe as he quickly disappeared from sight, and she wasn't the only one. The soldiers and servants within sight of his takeoff had their mouths gaping wide open. Getting used to seeing people fly was apparently a work in progress for the people of Roskilde.

"Hello, Lana," Lara said warmly, after Lana approached and curtseyed. "How was your sister's wedding? Did it give you any ideas for you own nuptials?"

"It's good to see you, Your Majesty," Lana replied. "The wedding was sweet and to the point. Nothing extraneous."

"Definitely not like what we're planning then," Lara chuckled.

"Definitely not," Lana agreed. "There's nothing simple about my wedding."

"Of course not. Yours is not only a marriage of two people, but also an instrument of State, as well as a cause for a kingdom-wide celebration," Lara said. "The only occasion during the rest of your life that will generate as much enthusiasm amongst the populace as your wedding will be the birth of your first son."

Lana nodded her head in agreement. "The continuation of the royal line. Heirs mean stability, and stability means prosperity."

"And thus you will be loved: first as Sir Lana, the hero of Dru-Zod's rebellion, and a second time as Crown Princess Lana, Queen Lana, and the mother of kings."

"The Lord grant that day is many years from coming to pass," Lana said fervently.

"You are kind to say so, Lana," Lara replied. "The fact that you can say that and mean it - even after the way I treated you - is just another mark of your suitability to become the next queen. Kal-El has chosen well, even though I _still _say he lucked into meeting you." Lara couldn't help but smile. "That boy should be on his knees giving prayerful thanks to God three or four times a day for allowing him to meet you."

"As should I. Whatever luck he received to meet me was also my luck in meeting him."

Kal-El came back to the castle at that moment, cutting off any further conversation between Lara and Lana. "I've found a spot that should suit us just fine, not more than half an hour's slow flight away." He could make the flight in a couple of minutes and so could his mother, but Lana was limited by the frailties of the human body. Kal-El smiled when he realized that frailty would only last for a bit longer.

"Are we ready to go?" Kal-El asked.

Lana's reply was to bury herself as deeply into her fur robe as she could, while Lara checked her lead box one last time. "Let's go, Son."

"Are you ready to go flying again, Lana?" he whispered. "One last time with me before you can do it on your own?"

"Yes, please." Lana giggled in anticipation, as this flight was going to be fast, for her anyway, and she'd actually get to go somewhere this time.

Kal-El picked her up and cradled her next to his body before leaping skyward once more, with Lara close behind. Between Lana's fur robe and Kal-El's heat vision, the soon-to-be princess stayed toasty warm as she snuggled against his chest. Once they began to approach the menacing wall of storm clouds, Kal-El dropped down low to the ground, before landing in a farm field that had not yet been planted for a summer crop. The field was miles from the nearest town, and even the farmhouse was not within sight of where the three of them were standing.

Lara was looking skyward, trying to gauge the storm clouds. Finally, she nodded and smiled slightly, before looking at Kal-El. "Looks like you're not a complete screw up today after all." Then she turned her gaze to Lana. "Promise me you'll keep my son under your watchful gaze once you two marry. He's usually so dependable and smart, but sometimes he acts before he thinks." Lara looked back up at the sky, and started to mutter to herself. "Having your intended wear a device that makes it possible for anyone with a kitchen knife to kill you while you are in her presence, is possibly the dumbest stunt you've ever pulled, Son. You're such a complete moron!"

"I know, I _know,"_ Kal-El replied. "I said I'm sorry. How many times do I have to apologize before you'll let it go?"

Lara took in a deep breath, held it, and then slowly let it go. "I think that's the last time."

"Huh?" Kal-El asked.

"I just had to get it out of my system before I cast this spell. Being upset about something else just causes me to have my focus in the wrong place…and _that_ could be dangerous."

That statement settled everyone down. From here on out, everyone knew they had to be focused on what they were doing. Kal-El and Lana linked hands and gave each other a squeeze while they waited for Lara to arrange things.

"The reason we needed to do this near a storm was not to help me cast the lightning spell…not exactly anyway," Lara said. "What the storm will do is make it possible for me to cast the spell with less of my energy - due to the nearby lightning potential - so that I'll have enough of my solar energy left to _direct_ the lightning to where I want it to go. It's the only way I can guarantee the lightning bolt will hit Kal-El instead of it haring off in another direction and wasting our time."

Lana flinched upon hearing that her beloved was the one to get hit by the lightning bolt. She had been told the procedure was painless, but some part of her still didn't like the idea of her man getting hit. She squeezed Kal-El's hand again, harder this time, and he murmured back, "It'll be okay, Lana. This is a tested process. It works."

"I know that, Kal," Lana replied. "But how would you feel if she'd just said the lightning bolt was going to hit me?"

"Good point."

Lara smiled when she saw how Lana and Kal-El drew comfort from each other. They did it so naturally that it would have been hard for her to believe they'd not quite known each other for a year, if she hadn't known it to be the truth.

"But Lana," Lara said, "the lightning bolt _will _hit you." It was Kal-El's turn to flinch, which earned him a 'told you so' look from Lana, and caused him to stick his tongue out at her in reply. "Once the lightning bolt hits Kal-El, it will pass through him and jump the short distance to your body. That will link the two of you with the chunk of Kryptonite you will be holding. That link is what will change you and make you into one of us."

Lara held the lead box up and gestured for Lana to take it. Once she had the box in her hands and had returned to Kal-El's side, Lara said, "This next part will be the most difficult part for you, Lana. I need you to open the box and watch what happens to Kal-El when you do."

"Oh _thanks,_ Mother," Kal-El said sarcastically.

"She needs to see how you react to the Kryptonite now, so she won't be surprised and do something stupid during the actual procedure." Lara directed her attention to Lana once more. "Open the box now, Lana, and hold the stone in your hand."

Worried about what was about to happen, Lana obeyed the queen and opened the box. She could feel Kal-El flinch and growl under his breath. When she dug the glowing green stone out of the box and held it in her hand, Kal-El gasped in agony and collapsed onto the ground. Lana's eyes widened in horror as she witnessed what was happening to Kal-El, and she immediately threw the stone back into the box, without waiting for the queen to order her to do so. As soon as the stone was secured, Lana fell to her knees and showered Kal-El's neck with kisses as she apologized for doing that to him.

"Are you all right, Darling?" Lana asked, when she was finally able to make herself stop kissing him.

"All in all," Kal-El wheezed, as he regained his strength, "a few seconds of pain are a fair price to pay for one moment of paradise."

"Now you see why I had you do that, Lana," Lara said. "Seeing my son in pain hurts me, too, but you need to know what to expect so you _won't_ do what you just did, and in doing so, ruin everything."

"How so?" a bewildered Lana asked, as she helped Kal-El to his feet.

"The procedure works like this: Kal-El will stand just out of arm's reach from you. I will be on the other side of him from you, and I will be quite a distance away to make sure the lightning goes nowhere but into you after it has hit him.

"In the last moment before I cast the lightning, you will open that lead box and hold the green Kryptonite in your hand. Kal-El will start to react to the stone as you have just seen, _but you must not touch him!"_

"Why not?" Lana asked.

"Because, if you are touching him when the lightning strikes, you won't just get a copy of his powers, you will _drain_ him of his powers."

"Holy…" Lana started.

"…sh*t!" Kal-El finished. He'd already known some of what his mother had said, but the idea of him being completely drained of his powers was a new one to him. "That wouldn't happen to be a _permanent _draining of my powers, would it, Mother?"

"Oh yes. Quite permanent," Lara said. "That's the one real danger of this procedure, especially when the two people involved love each other so much. If she can't be strong enough to ignore your pain for just a few seconds, then this might end up being a big mistake.

"So, once I see that Kal-El is completely under the effect of the Kryptonite, I will cast the lightning spell and use the rest of my solar energy to guide it, making it hit him. What happens after that I've already told you." Lara eyed the angry-looking clouds. "We'd better get this over with before those clouds open up on us and make a mess of everything."

As Lana picked up the lead box, she eyed it with revulsion. "How are we supposed to get the Kryptonite back into the box once the procedure is complete?"

"Very carefully," Kal-El snickered. Lana couldn't quite believe him finding humor in a situation like this one, but she rolled her eyes at him and then joined his laughter despite herself.

"Okay, everyone," Lara said, "time to line up."

Kal-El stayed where he was and Lana moved next to him, being careful to stay just out of his reach. She was mentally steeling herself to watch Kal-El flop around in agony; anything to be able to be near him without putting him in danger. Once Lana had chosen her spot, Lara walked off in the other direction until she was a good thirty feet away from them.

One last look up at the sky was all it took to convince Lara that they needed some extra protection. "Kal-El, would you please cast a physical barrier around the three of us. It wouldn't do for one of us to be hit by a _random_ lightning strike now."

"Yes, Mother," Kal-El replied. It only took him a few seconds, and once the barrier was raised, nothing could get in or out of that circle until Kal-El dissipated the barrier.

"Are you two ready to do this?" Lara asked. When both Lana and Kal-El nodded their heads yes, Lara said, "Open the box, Lana, and dig out the Kryptonite."

Lana hesitated just a second before performing her job. She ripped open the box, grabbed the Kryptonite, and dropped the box at her feet. Kal-El's body instantly twisted and his mouth twisted into a rictus of pain. Lara saw that and waited a second just to make sure Lana wasn't going to chicken out on them before pointing one arm directly toward Kal-El and muttering a short incantation. Immediately, a searing hot lightning bolt shot out of her hand and struck Kal-El full in the chest, hammering his Kryptonite-weakened body to the ground, even as it leapt from his body and into Lana's.

The future princess felt a surge of power rushing through her body, followed closely by excruciating pain caused by the Kryptonite which was still in her hand. Lana dropped the Kryptonite stone on instinct and staggered away from it to try to get away from the pain. When she was far enough away from the stone, she took a couple of deep breaths and looked back at Lara and Kal-El.

The queen's eyes were shut tight as she tried to recover from the temporary blindness caused by the bolt of lightning, and Kal-El was flat on the ground, momentarily stunned by the combination of the lightning and his proximity to green Kryptonite, so neither one of them could see Lana, who was blinking away bright spots of her own. She could see slightly better than the queen only because she had been looking away from Kal-El at the moment the lightning struck.

Everything appeared to be okay to Lana until she heard Kal-El groan with pain. It was then that she realized she'd dropped the Kryptonite only a few feet from her sweet Kal. Luckily, she'd nearly dropped it right on top of the lead box, so she dove to the ground and grimaced in pain as she stuffed the glowing green stone into the lead box. Lana sighed as the pain left her body, and she and Lara both rushed to Kal-El, who was just beginning to work himself into an upright sitting position. Once the two women were satisfied that Kal-El was fine and just needed a few moments to recover from his ordeal, Lara turned her thoughts to Lana.

"Lana dear, do you feel any differently now?" Lara asked, as Kal-El used his magic to lower the physical barrier he had erected around them, as he knew the next thing to do would to be to fly his mother up above the clouds to recharge her power so she could fly home, while he began to tutor Lana in the use of her powers.

Both Els listened intently as Lana said, "Umm…I'm not sure. Let me see." It didn't even occur to her to mention that she had felt pain from the touch of the Kryptonite; what first told her that something was different, that _she _was different, was the weather.

_I'm not cold! _Lana thought suddenly. _I can still _feel_ the cold, but it no longer bothers me. _


	92. Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Whoops!

Once Lana realized she wasn't cold, she got excited.

Really excited.

"It worked!! It worked, it worked, it worked!!"Lana screamed. She jumped for joy then, which was a _teensy-tiny _miscalculation on her part, as that _little _jump sent her rocketing more than three-hundred feet straight up into the air.

Kal-El and Lara shared a grin and a quick one-armed hug as Lana went skyward, but once she got over her shock, she started screaming as gravity took over and pulled her back toward earth. He was tempted to let her smack into the ground so that she'd at least learn how invulnerable she was, but easing her terror was more important to him at the moment; she could learn about her new abilities some other day.

As Kal-El prepared to launch himself into the air to catch Lana, she had quit screaming fearfully because she was too busy flailing around as she tried to push down her skirts, which were being blown up around her ears by her rapid descent. She just _knew_ she'd die of mortification if Kal-El saw her bare legs, not to mention the even more private bits higher up. Lara saw the problem before Kal-El looked up and she told him to just catch her from the ground, without looking up.

"A little bit to the leefffffft…" Lara coached, "hold out your arms…and…"

Lana fell right into Kal-El's arms.

"Very good," Lara didn't smile at her son's blind catch. Instead, she nodded her head sharply as if he'd only done what was expected of him.

Lana's nerves were shot by her unexpected venture, and she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. "Nice catch," she mumbled into his neck. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Kal-El replied, as he used shifted her and ruffled her windblown hair with one hand. After a few moments together, Lara cleared her throat and Kal-El set Lana on the ground and turned away so she could arrange her dress and make herself presentable. Once her skirts were down, she walked around Kal-El and stopped in front of Lara.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Lana said, as she curtseyed deeply.

Lara wasn't sure where Lana's sudden burst of court formality was coming from, but years of practice made her response almost automatic. "Rise, Lady Lana. You are very welcome." Then she stepped forward and enveloped the younger woman in a tentative hug. "I know the wedding is still six months away, but unofficially, welcome to the family, Lana. You're one of us now."

Lana blushed prettily at the welcome. She was very happy with the way things were progressing with the queen, and for that matter, so was Kal-El. These were the two most important women in his life. He loved them both and desperately wanted them to love each other. While they didn't appear to be there yet, they both seemed to be trying so hard, and that was all for which he could really ask.

"Next up, Lana," Lara said with a faint smile, "is teaching you how to use, and most importantly, how to _control_ your new powers."

"Yes, Ma'am," she agreed, "it would be nice to only end up in mid-air when I want to go there."

"But I can't stay to teach you. That's a process that's going to take days, so I give the responsibility for teaching you to you future husband." Lana and Kal-El both smiled widely, which drew a caution from the queen. "Teaching a loved one can be a frustrating exercise for both the teacher and the student. Be patient and understanding and everything will work out fine." When both youngsters acknowledged her warning, she added, "Now, let's get you two back to Lord Wayne's castle so I can go home."

Lana now had the physical ability to fly, but she didn't know how to do it yet, so Kal-El took her into his arms and leapt into the air. Lara was right behind, and because Lana now had the strength to withstand a high-speed flight and the resistance to extremely cold temperatures, the flight home was over much faster than the flight out. Once they'd landed in the castle courtyard and Lana's reputation was intact, Lara swung around to the north and headed off.

"So," Lana said, as soon as the queen left, "when do my lessons start?"

"Do you still have those leather pants you wore into battle during the war?" Kal-El asked.

"Yes, of course. I make sure they're buried in one of my clothing trunks with the rest of my armor." She gave Kal-El a cheeky grin. "After all, a dragon knight has to be ready in case the kingdom needs her sword."

"I pray to God that your sword will never be needed again." Kal-El took Lana's hand and they headed inside. "I don't mind telling you that looking up to the mountain pass and not being able to see you was the scariest moment of my life."

"At least now I'm pretty much invulnerable to anything except another Kryptonian."

"Just don't forget what a training amulet can do to you now."

Being reminded of the item that had started this whole little drama sobered Lana up. "I can't afford to rely on my new powers too much, can I?"

"Nope, and as long as you remember that, you'll be fine." Kal-El shook his head rueful disbelief. "I have _you_ to thank for reminding _me_ of that." Then Kal-El went back to the topic of her training. "As long as you wear those leather pants under your dress, we can start training tomorrow when we head home. Most likely we'll do it at the end of our travels each day."

Lana couldn't help an excited, "Yes!"

Her enthusiasm for her new state in life made Kal-El laugh, but he did have a warning of his own. "Until you have full control of your abilities, Lana, you'll need to think about the littlest things you do."

"Like?"

"Don't get in a hurry to go anywhere. Don't even walk fast, or else you might end up with a burst of super-speed and end up running through thick castle walls. No slapping anyone who offends you…"

"Because I might knock his head off." Lana could see where this conversation was leading. "So, think before I do?"

"Oh yeah. And just when you're sure, think again just to be safe. I don't want to deal with potential murder charges because you killed someone on accident with an ill-timed burst of power."

Lana blanched upon hearing the word 'murder.' "M-m-maybe I should wear the amulet again until I'm trained."

"Nope. Nothing doing. That's what got us started on this in the first place. Remember?" Lana sighed in agreement, and Kal-El added, "Just remember what my old Uncle Ben used to say to me when I was little: 'With great power comes great responsibility."

"You have an Uncle Ben?"

"Used to. He was my mother's older brother."

"It sounds like he was a wise man," Lana said.

"More so than most," Kal-El agreed, "but then again, I was just a little kid when he died, and _all _adults sound wise at that age."

Before Lana and Kal-El got very far, a servant approached and bowed low before informing them that by the order of Lady Wayne, a meal had been kept hot for each of them. Lana and Kal-El each thought for a second, then looked at each other. No words were exchanged; none were needed. That one look was all it took for them to know that a quiet, shared meal would be the perfect end to a long day.

"If Lord and Lady Wayne haven't yet retired to their rooms for the evening," Kal-El said, "let them know Lady Lana and I have returned."

"Yes, Your Highness," the servant said. "Lord and Lady Wayne, however, have already been informed of your arrival. Lady Wayne has commanded me to inform you that they will come see you once you've completed your meal."

"In what room will the meal be served?" Lana asked.

"The family's private dining room, Lady Lana."

Lana clapped her hands in delight, and dragged Kal-El off toward the former Lang family quarters, which were now occupied by the Waynes.

"One last meal for you in your old dining room," Kal-El said. "That's very thoughtful of Lois," Kal-El said. "It seems she's picking up the subtleties of hospitality faster than I would have thought."

"She's always known how to treat a guest, Kal," Lana replied. "She's just never wanted to play the role of the 'lady of the house' before. But while that kind of stuff doesn't matter much to her, she'll do it now because any poor performance on _her_ part…"

"…will reflect poorly on Bruce," Kal-El finished.

"Exactly," Lana said, glad that Kal-El understood. "Lois will do all sorts of things for his sake that she would never do otherwise."

"That's a very gratifying thing for me to hear. With Bruce being new to the nobility, he'll be looked down upon by a lot of the more established noble families. They'll be looking for him to make the kind of social mistakes that you and I were taught to avoid from an early age. He _needs_ Lois to support him, to be the kind of woman she's never wanted to be, and if she already realizes that, then they're off to a good start."

Lana started to snicker then at the idea of two unmarried teenagers passing judgment on the suitability of someone else's union. Kal-El joined in the laughter for a moment, but then pointed out that they weren't passing judgment on their personal or romantic suitability, but on how suitable they were in a social and political manner.

"And _that_ is something you and I are qualified to judge," Lana said.

"Definitely."

"Thanks, Kal, that makes me feel better."

"Don't worry about it," Kal-El said. "You and I are already being judged on how suitable we are as a couple. None of them will ever say a word to us, but it's happening anyway."

"I bet we get high marks," Lana said confidently.

"_Perfect_ marks, and yet…" Kal-El said, as he pulled Lana to a stop and kissed her thoroughly right in the middle of the hall, "…I would settle for less than perfect marks in exchange for taking more time to ensure you know how much I love you."

Lana allowed Kal-El to pull her body against his as his mouth ravaged hers again, and when he finally released her so they could continue to their meal, a happily dazed Lana rubbed at her eyes - which were burning slightly - as she asked what she had done to deserve that.

"What other people think of what we do shouldn't really matter, as long as I don't compromise your reputation, but I don't kiss you like that often enough, mostly out of fear of what those 'other people' might think, and that's stupid.

"I should just be concerned about you and what you think and feel. I promise to focus more on you and less on 'them' from now on. If they want to pay attention to us, the one thing I want them to judge correctly is that we are in wildly in love." Kal-El wiggled his eyebrows at Lana. "Think you can handle more of me?"

"More kissing? More touches? More _affection?"_ Lana scoffed. "That's one challenge for which I was _born_ ready."

The meal was delicious and the company was better. As it was one of their increasingly rare meals alone, with the distant company of one servant for propriety's sake, Lana and Kal-El would have found ways to stretch the meal for hours had they not both wanted to talk to their newlywed hosts. So once their dessert pastries were finished, Kal-El signaled to the servant who stuck his head out the door to send another servant to alert the Waynes and then he cleared away their dishes while they waited for Bruce and Lois.

When the Waynes made their appearance, Lana and Kal-El leapt to their feet and applauded the newly married couple before engaging in a series of ferocious hugs. Everyone wanted to talk at once, with Lana and Kal-El eager to know how it felt to be married, and the Waynes, Lois especially, curious to know if the procedure had been successful.

Lana and Kal-El ended up telling the story about Lana's accidental leap into the sky to prove that she had successfully made the transition from human to Kryptonian without Lana having to resort to punching a hole in the wall. Lois and Bruce both started laughing once Lana got to the part of the story where she was went from panicked about her safety to being panicked that Kal-El would see up her dress.

"I can just _see_ you flailing around trying to make your skirts behave," Lois snickered.

"What was funny was how Mother had to direct me on where to stand to catch her," Kal-El added.

"In any case," Lana said, "I'm now under a _royal command," _she shot a sly look at Kal-El, "to think carefully, and do so twice, before I do anything physical until such time as my prince has been able to complete my education."

"We'll start instruction tomorrow at the end of the day's travel," Kal-El said. "Having those abilities doesn't help much unless you can use them, Darling."

"It's a good thing then," Bruce replied, "that Lana's most important new ability doesn't require any training at all."

Kal-El nodded his head in definite agreement. "True. That invulnerability is important, but we've already had a short discussion on it's limitations."

"I know that my brains and the loyalty of the people around me are still my best defense," Lana said. "Now, that's more than enough about me. I think it's high time we get to hear about the first day of marriage for you two."

Bruce and Lois looked at each other and smiled. Lana was kind of expecting the big, goofy smile she saw on Lois' face, but when she saw the exact same smile on Bruce's normally stern face, she knew the night had been even more successful than the wedding had been.

Kal-El had come to the same conclusion, and knowing that Lana had to be dying for some private girl talk with her sister, he gestured to the door and asked for a personal tour of his castle.

"A knight's tour mind you. Show me the defenses, not the reception rooms."

"A knight's tour I can give you," Bruce replied, before he turned to his wife and kissed her. "Have fun with Lana, Dearest. I'll be back."

"Don't be gone too long, Bruce," Lois said. She had a wicked gleam in her eyes that raised his blood pressure all by itself. And then she added, "We still have some unfinished business to attend to." That left Bruce tugging at a suddenly tight shirt collar and both Kal-El and Lana blushing furiously, looking at their toes, and sneaking quick peeks at each other.

When Bruce and Kal-El finally slipped out of the family dining room, Lana turned to Lois, who was chuckling under her breath. "How long do you think he'll manage to stay away after that last comment?"

"Hopefully, not very long at all. I've found I _like_ sharing a bed with that man."

Lana sighed and said something she'd not let anyone else in the world hear her say. "I can't _wait_ until Kal and I have 'unfinished business.'"

"I know you've heard stories from the maids about what it's like," Lois said, "but stories are nothing like the real thing. It's like the difference between reading one of your history books and being there to see things for yourself."

"Which is why you, with the memory fresh in your mind, are going to tell me what it's like."


	93. Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Gonna Fly Now

Lana was having her first private chat with Lois since the older woman's wedding and bedding the night before, and she was intent on getting all of the juicy details. She wanted to have some idea of what it was like for a woman to share her love with her man in that most intimate way, because she was deep in preparation for her own marriage six months hence to Kal-El. Lana wanted to have something specific to fuel her fantasies during those long months ahead, but Lois was going to disappoint her.

"No, Lana, that's why I'm _not _going to tell you what it's like." When Lana shot Lois a disgruntled look, Lois said, "Didn't you hear what I just said? Stories are _nothing_ like the real thing." Lois patted Lana on the shoulder. "Right now, there's no way you could possibly understand…and after you marry Kal-El, you won't need to be told."

Lana grumbled again, but she accepted Lois' refusal in the spirit in which it was intended. "Okay, soooo I have to wonder on my own for a few months longer. This trip has been nice because it's gotten me away from the sometimes suffocating presence of my ladies-in-waiting for a few weeks, but I'm going to be glad to have them with me once we return to the palace."

"Why?" Lois asked. She thought she die if she had that many ladies hanging on her every word. She really didn't understand why Lana put up with them.

"They protect me from my basest desires, Lois. They protect me from myself."

"You want him that much, do you?"

"With every breath," Lana replied simply.

Lois pulled Lana into a hug, "Lana, Lana, Lana…it's a good thing that man of yours is as crazy about you as you are about him." Lois rubbed Lana's back. "You do know those ladies-in-waiting are supposed to be to protect you from men, not the other way around, right?"

"Says who?"

Lois adopted a preachy tone of voice that sounded exactly like their father's former chaplain. Both girls had seriously disliked the man in their younger days, but hearing his voice coming from Lois' mouth gave Lana a case of the giggles that only got worse with each word Lois spoke. "Well…_everyone_ knows women, especially noble women, are paragons of virtue who would _only_ fall from grace because some _wicked_ man enticed them."

"Oh, God, Lois, stop!" Lana said, as she was holding her sides from laughing too hard. "Whoever said _that _had to have been a man."

"A single man at that," Lois agreed.

"What am I going to _do?"_

"What they always tell young ladies to do: if unattended, only see a man in a public place. If attended, be careful anyway."

The next morning Lana waited in the castle courtyard after a quick but hearty breakfast as she, Kal-El, and Alicia waited for the ladies' carriage to be brought up. Just as the carriage was driven through the open castle gate and into the courtyard, Harold came bursting through the door to the central keep, looking a bit disheveled and wild-eyed.

He trotted up to the three of them, nodded a quick hello to Kal-El and Lana, and then offered a hand to Alicia as he asked for a few moments of her time. Most of the rest of their party was standing behind them in line waiting to board their own carriages, but when Alicia looked pleadingly at her sister and future brother-in-law, Kal-El waved her away.

Harold led Alicia just far enough away to be out of hearing range of everyone else and then pulled a folded and wax-sealed piece of thick, creamy paper out of his coat and handed it to her. Both Lana and Kal-El were watching intently, but neither one could tell what was being said.

"And don't worry," Kal-El whispered to Lana, "I'm not listening in on them." Then he paused when he realized something. "And _you'd_ better not be listening to them either, Lana."

"I don't know how to yet," Lana mumbled.

"Well don't focus in on them, or else you'll discover how the hearing works awfully quickly."

When Alicia opened the sealed paper she began to read it, they could see her eyes brighten almost instantly, but then Harold began to speak and Alicia looked up at him with wonder in her eyes, and avidly followed what he had to say until he reached the end of his speech. Then she returned her gaze to the paper in her hands and continued reading it.

When Alicia was done reading, Harold escorted her back to the waiting carriage and handed her up into it before taking his leave and going off to find his waiting horse. Lana and Kal-El both shrugged their shoulders before he handed her inside to sit across from her younger sister.

While Lana asked Alicia about the paper and Harold's little speech right away, Kal-El had to wait until the procession got on the road to find Harold and pull him to one side. "Harry," Kal-El asked, "was that thing with Lady Alicia what I think it was?" Kal-El asked.

"A love letter?" Harry smiled. "Oh yes. I spent _hours_ on that. And then when it was finished, I spent more hours committing it to memory so I could say it to her as she read it."

"From what Lana and I could see," Kal-El said, "it looked like she paid the letter no attention one you began to speak. So it appeared that speaking the contents of the love letter touched her more than just the letter itself." Kal-El smiled widely and reached across to slap Harry on the back. "That looked like a good start."

Alicia seemed to agree, as the letter and its contents were all she could talk about all morning long. And when the party finally stopped for the evening, the effect seemed to continue as she went off to spend the time before their evening meal sitting with Harry in the common room of the inn they had rented out for the evening.

Kal-El and Lana, on the other hand, had different plans. Lana scurried up to her room and into her pair of brown leather pants, an old dress, and her good riding boots so she could go outside with Kal-El to begin practicing her new Kryptonian powers.

While getting a handle on Lana's new strength or speed might be seen as the most practical course of action, she and Kal-El chose to work on flying first because it was her long-cherished ambition to fly on her own. So, Kal-El and Lana went back to the edge of town, along with a suitable escort, and paid a local farmer for the use of his field for a couple of hours until the evening meal was ready at their inn. Lana looked a bit strange to anyone who saw her, as the leather boots looked ridiculous coming out from beneath the hem of her dress.

"Okay, Lana," Kal-El said, as he looked down at his eager student, "flying is all in your mind. It's very simple once your brain catches onto it, but it can be hard to put into practice what I'm telling you to do."

"I'm ready!" Lana enthused.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Kal-El mumbled. "Anyway, most of the other abilities you now have are easy to use, as you learned yesterday when you went for that accidental leap. Those kinds of abilities you just have to learn to control, like strength, speed, and x-ray vision. Heat vision and frost breath have specific triggers, and once you learn those triggers, you'll have two more abilities that you'll just have to establish control over.

"And speaking of x-ray vision, please don't start thinking of seeing through anything until we can practice that one. You won't do any harm, but you'll likely embarrass yourself to death."

"Soooo, no imagining what…_anyone…_looks like under his or her clothes?" Lana was being as delicate as she could and still get her point across. Kal-El knew exactly what she was getting at and he reflexively turned sideways to limit her view of him before he caught himself doing it and sheepishly smiled.

"You're a bad girl, Lady Lana," Kal-El jokingly admonished her.

"Just because I don't do bad things doesn't mean I don't have bad thoughts," Lana licked her lips and gave Kal-El a sultry stare before returning to her normal bright and cheerful demeanor. "That's something you might want to remember in say, six months or so."

"So noted." Kal-El looked at Lana one more time and shook his head. "Back to your training."

"Sure."

"You _would_ choose to start with the hardest ability to master." Kal-El paused as he tried to think of a way to describe the feeling of flying. "You remember your leap yesterday?"

Lana shivered as she recalled her accidental jump into the sky. "I'll never forget that. That was scary and embarrassing all at once."

"Well, today you're going to be doing that a lot, until you catch on to what it takes to get into the air and then _stay _there."

"You're kidding me."

"Nope. You see, I wasn't joking when I said flying was all in your mind. You start to fly just as you jump, exactly like you did yesterday. But with flying, that's just the start. From then on, flying is achieved by concentrating on _staying _in the air, and having your mind tell your body where it would like to go.

"The hard part seems to be convincing your mind that it really can _stay_ in the air once it gets there, which is why you'll be jumping into the air a lot, and falling a lot, until your mind catches on. According to Mother, it can take a while to break through that particular mental block. People can end up doing a lot of falling before they understand."

"How many times did you fall?" Lana asked.

"A couple of dozen at least," Kal-El sighed. "And that's a boy who had grown up with the knowledge that he would eventually be able to fly." He looked Lana over carefully. "I'm so glad the invulnerability is the one ability we have that takes no training before it works properly."

"Me too," Lana said fervently.

Lana and Kal-El spent the rest of their two hours practicing. Lana leapt into the sky a full fifty times, and crashed to the Earth fifty times, before getting the first twitch. She wanted to keep on going, but Kal-El overruled her as it was dinner time and because the old dress she had worn was in tatters from all of the crash landings. Kal-El took off his fancy dress uniform jacket and handed it to her to cover the damage to her dress before they returned to their inn.

It wasn't until the next night that Lana finally got a shaky control over her ability to fly, and when she did, she let out an ear-splitting scream of delight that could be heard for miles around.

Of course, she _then_ had to learn how to land without falling and tearing gaping holes in the ground. That ended up taking another two nights. Just when Lana was feeling comfortable enough with her flying skill to consider showing off for her father and sister, Kal-El took a break from her training to ask her for something that was important to him.

"How would you and your family like to take a side trip to Borussia to see the the ducal palace?" Kal-El asked. He'd only seen parts of the palace when he'd been there during the war, and was looking forward to taking the full tour with his future duchess by his side.

"This is where we'll live after we marry, right?" Lana asked. When Kal-El nodded yes, her smile widened. "Then I would love to, but you'll have to get father's approval before I can go."

"Don't you think he'll say yes? To see his favorite daughter sizing up her new home?"

"I don't think he'll be able to resist."

"Good," Kal-El kissed Lana's forehead. "I'll go ask him. If he says yes, we can be there in a few days."


	94. Chapter 94

Chapter 94

Fire and Ice

Kal-El and Lana spent the next few days traveling during the day and training her powers in the early evening when they stopped for the night. After the way Lana had ruined her old dress while learning the basics of flying, she gave up on trying to maintain her femininity and instead started wearing the tabard of a dragon knight along with a padded, quilted shirt that went beneath the sleeveless tabard. Once she decided to be practical and dress like the knight that she was, she also had her maids put her hair up into the triple braid of a warrior each evening.

Kal-El admired Lana's appearance, and was thankful that her tabard hung down to her knees, both to keep him from staring at her leather-clad thighs, and to keep anyone else from getting that look. Once she had a rudimentary control of her flying abilities, Kal-El moved on to strength and speed. With strength, he was more worried about her establishing basic control so that things like her accidentally jumping three-hundred feet into the air wouldn't happen again.

With speed, not only did Kal-El want Lana to learn how to keep from going fast on accident, but he also knew she needed to learn how to slow down and stop once she did start going fast. He remembered racing three towns away before his father had been able to catch him on the day he himself first discovered his speed, mostly because he hadn't known how to stop.

Kal-El and Lana worked their way through the entire catalog of Kryptonian abilities in a matter of days, with Kal-El being more concerned about giving Lana a basic grounding in each of her abilities before going back to refine her control of any of them. And for reasons of propriety and personal embarrassment, the crown prince left the subject of heat vision until the very end of Lana's initial round of training. The thing he _didn't_ know was that Lana had been experiencing daily near misses with her heat vision. Lana didn't know it either, which is why she never reported the incidents to Kal-El. All she knew was that when he was particularly sweet, kind, patient, or romantic with her - anything that could make her feel a little extra surge for him - she felt a slight burning sensation in her eyes.

Thus it was on the final day of their trip to Borussia, with the city itself in sight in the distance, that Lana and Kal-El rode horses to the bank of a nearby river - the same river that flowed through the town - along with their protective escort. He dismounted and then helped her down and they walked off a short distance to maintain some sort of privacy. Not wanting anyone to hear what they were about to discuss, Kal-El then cast a silence spell around Lana and himself.

"This last ability is one I've avoided dealing with on purpose."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Kal-El said, as he looked away from Lana and toward the wide river. "As you know from the list I provided, your last ability is heat vision."

"Why'd you avoid it?" Lana asked. "Is it hard to deal with?"

"No, not hard, just…embarrassing."

"Embarrassing? How?"

"Well," Kal-El was already having a hard time looking at Lana, and having to talk to her about what triggered his heat vision was _not_ making things any easier, "the ability itself isn't embarrassing. It just involves tightly-focused beams of heat shooting out of your eyes. The embarrassing part is what _triggers _the heat vision."

Lana wasn't stupid. She was beginning to recall the burning sensations she'd been experiencing pretty much every single day since gaining her powers…and now that Kal-El mentioned a trigger, she began to piece together a few ideas on what the trigger might be. Her face flamed red before he even started in on the explanation. Kal-El noted Lana's fiery blush and wondered if she'd already had an incident involving heat vision. But he decided that couldn't be the case, as she would have reported it to him.

"Any powerful emotion can trigger heat vision, but the one that does the trick most often for a young Kryptonian…is lust, love, sexual excitement…" Kal-El's voice drifted off as he finally looked directly at Lana. "I thought I had my heat vision well under control…until the day I met you."

It was Kal-El's turn to blush, something Lana thought was charming as he did it so rarely. But knowing _why_ he was blushing made Lana blush all over again. And now neither one could look at the other at _all._

"What does this heat vision feel like?" Lana asked.

"It starts as a burning sensation that's right behind the eyes. It feels like your eyeballs are on fire. And then, just when you think your eyes are going to explode, beams of heat shoot out of them."

After Kal-El's admission, Lana was fairly sure she had experienced the beginnings of heat vision on several occasions during the past week. She then explained to him that she had had a few near misses with heat vision over the past week. That caused him to blanch as he thought of the potential disasters that had been narrowly averted. "Okay, it looks like my intention to save the embarrassing stuff for last nearly backfired."

Lana heard the word 'fire' and started to giggle. "I'll say there was nearly a fire, but it had nothing to do with my back."

Kal-El just shook his head at Lana's attempt at making light of their situation. "The thing is, Lana, today I actually have to teach you how to trigger the heat vision when you want it. Strangely enough, that's also the best way for you to learn how to prevent the heat vision from triggering when you don't want it to so."

"Trigger it," Lana eyed Kal-El doubtfully. "On purpose." Lana looked around and saw nothing but any empty farm field and the nearby river. "Good thing there's nothing flammable anywhere near us."

"Us being by the river is no accident. That was the other reason for waiting so long to handle this ability. I wanted a lot of water nearby just in case something caught on fire."

Lana folded her arms over her chest. "So, how do you intend to make me start a fire?"

The only warning Kal-El gave Lana was a sexy smirk just before his mouth dove in and captured hers in a heated kiss. He stopped kissing Lana after what he judged to be a sufficiently long period of time, so he could ask, "How close are you, Lana?"

"My eyes feel hot," she replied, "but I'm not quite there yet."

"Then let me know when you get there," Kal-El instructed before moving back in to continue their passionate kiss.

Lana was closer than she thought. It took mere seconds for the second kiss to push her past the point of no return. "Mmmmppphhhhgg!" She struggled to push herself away from Kal-El, and when she finally succeeded, all she had time to say was, "I'm th…" before beams of shimmering heat lanced out from her hazel eyes.

The field was damp and empty of crops, as it was still early spring, and there were no trees around, but there _was_ one thing within range of Lana's heat vision that was readily flammable: Kal-El's clothing. Her beams of heat crisscrossed his uniform jacket and dug into the shirt beneath it, setting both garments on fire in less than a second. Lana quickly turned so the rest of her uncontrolled blast of heat shot into the river, while a shocked Kal-El watched dumbly for a few moments as his shirt and jacket burned like a bonfire, before he leapt into the river to put out the flames.

Lana watched concernedly until Kal-El stood on the riverbank and leapt back up to where she was standing. The guards had rushed over to Lana's location when they saw their prince in flames, and at least half of them wondered if they should be placing her under arrest for making an attempt on the prince's life. Kal-El waved them off, however, and ordered them to return to their duties.

Once the troops were gone, Kal-El looked down at his clothes and picked at the ragged remnants of his shirt and jacket. "Looks like I should have brought some extra clothes tonight." Between him looking at the damage to his clothes and Lana moving in to check _him_ for damage, the ruins of his jacket and shirt didn't stay on for long. As he dropped what was left of those articles of clothing on the ground, Lana looked up and took in what was right in front of her: her Kal was naked from the waist up…all rippling, chiseled muscles from his waist to his neck, something she hadn't seen since sneaking a peek at him with Bruce in the waryard back at the manor in Krakovia.

Not knowing what else to say, Lana gulped and then said, "You appear to be fine, but your shirt and jacket aren't even good for cleaning rags now."

Kal-El shrugged his shoulders. "I know. I took them off already." He suddenly realized he was with Lana and wasn't wearing anything from the waist up. "In fact, I should see if any of the soldiers happen to have a raincloak or something I can pull on."

"Why in such a hurry?" Lana said offhandedly. It took her a second to realize what she'd just said, and then her mouth fell open wide. "Oh…did I say that out loud?"

Lana was mortified and Kal-El was grinning from ear to ear as he zipped over to their escort to borrow a raincloak. By the time he came jetting back with a lengthy cloak tied into place to help shield his chest and back from her view, her hands were up in front of her eyes trying to keep her from giving off another blast of heat.

Clark saw her difficulty and blew some frost breath onto his hands. "Here, Lana, Let me help. Move your hands for me, please." She pulled her hands away from her eyes and Kal-El placed his frozen palms on top of her close eyelids. "Here, this will help."

Kal-El felt the heat from Lana's eyes soaking into his deep-frozen hands. Whenever he felt his hands thawing out, he just gave the backs of his hands another blast of frost breath. Finally, Lana's second blast of heat vision subsided, and Kal-El lowered his hands from her face.

"First thing, Lana, is that you will have to be able to do this for yourself in an emergency. We can't have you incinerating something just because you're having…_thoughts."_

"If you'd keep your shirt on, I might be able to _control_ my thoughts." Lana practiced frosting her hands and placing them on her eyes just in case. "I can't believe I'm even talking to you about this."

"I have the same thoughts, Lana. Trust me," Kal-El said, "when you dress up for a ball, you make me feel things, and want to do things, that I've never experienced before. Even seeing you in those leather pants stirs me and makes it difficult to control my heat vision." He flapped his arms useless at his sides. "Heat vision is an equal opportunity annoyance."

Hearing that made Lana laugh, in spite of her embarrassment. Kal-El chose that moment to move behind her and begin to show her how to trigger her heat vision whenever she wanted. For some reason, learning to perfect turning the heat vision on was also the key to gaining control over turning it off and keeping it that way. Lana spent the next half hour focusing on a patch of water in the river and turning it into columns of steam.

Once she thought she finally had a handle on her heat vision, Kal-El decided to give her a final test. He stepped up right behind her, pressed his bare chest against her back, and began to whisper into her ear. Lana wasn't used to her Kal being so frank in discussing what he liked about her, but it was having the desired effect. She felt the heat building in her eyes, and knew it was her job to control the heat. It was a bit of a struggle, especially with Kal-El continuing to test her, but when Lana's will won out and the heat receded, she shouted her victory and punched both fists up into the air. Kal-El then grabbed her hips and swung her around and around until they both were dizzy and he had to set her down. The young couple then staggered across the field to their escort and tried to mount their horses, which was _not _an easy thing to do while the Earth kept moving. They ended up resting against the sides of their horses until the world stopped spinning quite so much.

"What now?" Lana giggled.

"Now? We go back to town and that little inn that I commandeered for us."

"Not _that_ 'now,' Kal," Lana replied. "I mean…what now with my powers?"

"Now we'll go back through your powers, one by one, and make sure the tenuous control you have over them becomes more solid." Kal-El tested to see if he was stable enough to get back in the saddle. "By the time we get you back to the winter palace, I want you to be very competent when it comes to each of your powers."

"When do we start?" Lana asked eagerly.

Kal-El swept a stray strand of brown hair out of Lana's face, tucking it behind one of her ears. "Tomorrow night, after we reach the ducal palace, because I know you won't settle for waiting even one day." Kal-El smiled softly at Lana. "And yes, my love, we'll start with flying. Before we leave the ducal palace to return to the capital, you'll soar like a bird."


	95. Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Home, Sweet Home

The next morning brought changes. Many changes. The white-uniformed members of the Royal Household Guard who had guarded Kal-El and Lana turned and headed back to the winter palace. Count Lang's small guard of his own men stayed on, and the royal guards were replaced by an equal-sized contingent of green-and-gold coated knights from Kal-El's own ducal army, as the people of Borussia were proud of their connection to the El family and insisted that he be their duke _first_ while in the duchy, and crown prince second. That had surprised Lana a little bit, but seeing her Kal in green and gold surprised her even more as she was totally used to seeing him in the gold-trimmed white.

Every member of that Borussian honor guard was a veteran of the war against Dru-Zod, and to a man, they knew of Lady Lana's role. They hadn't just heard the stories second or third-hand, they _knew._ They'd all seen glimpses of Lana leading her crazed soldiers back into battle as they shouted their impromptu war cry. They knew her improbable effort had saved their lives. So when she stepped out of the inn that morning, the entire honor guard dismounted their horses and bowed low to her before shouting that war cry in her honor: "For God, the king, and Lady Lana!"

Lana was surprised, and touched far beyond her ability to say. All she could manage was to bow low in return and then salute the men who'd risked so much for the kingdom. She bowed, instead of curtseying, because of a decision she and Kal-El had made the night before.

Up to this point on their journey, Lana had dressed like a lady and ridden with her sisters in the large carriage with the royal coat-of-arms on the doors. Now, however, she and Kal-El had a talk about the likely desires and expectations of the people in the city of Borussia itself, and together they decided it was time for Sir Lana to make an appearance. So this day, Lana was decked out in her lightweight armor and the tabard of a Knight of the Dragon, and instead of riding in the carriage with Alicia, she rode a horse. She even had her twin daggers prominently tucked into her belt.

Several people were made happy by that change in events. Lana and Kal-El were both pleased that they would be able to spend the entire day side-by-side. Alicia and Harold were also pleased as Lana's move opened a seat in the carriage for him to claim so he could continue winning her back. There was no risk to Alicia's reputation, as the other two seats in the carriage were taken by maids, but Lord Lang still chose to give the Krakovian prince a stern glare before he climbed up into the carriage. The ride into the city was slow, as the day's ride was short and they weren't in a big hurry. Even at their current pace, Kal-El's party expected to make it into the city, out the other side, and to the palace in plenty of time for lunch.

Kal-El, Lana, and Lewis rode at the front of the procession with the man who was both crown prince and duke in the middle. Behind them were the royal carriage with Alicia and Harold, a couple of supply wagons, and their baggage train. On the sides and at the rear of the procession were the fifty knights in the green and gold of Borussia, and twenty more knights in the purple and gold of the new Count of Albemarle, Lord Lang.

The reason for turning a short march into a virtual parade was that the people of the city knew their duke and his future duchess were coming, and the reason they knew was that Kal-El had sent a pair of riders ahead a couple of days earlier to alert the palace staff about his imminent visit. He was reasonably sure the palace staff would in turn tell the city's mayor, and _that_ would end in some sort of welcome.

And as the procession neared the city itself, Kal-El saw he was right. A thin line of people lined each side of the roadway starting more than a mile outside the city gates, and he could see the lines of waiting townspeople thickening in the distance.

"Are you ready for this, Lana?" Kal-El asked.

"For the crowd?" she asked in reply.

"Well, that too," Kal-El said, "but I was thinking mostly about the adulation and the expectations. Some of those people are going to expect you to be this huge warrior."

Lana turned her head, flipping the single tail of her triple warrior's braid, and smiled. "You mean this and my armor won't be enough." Lana knew better than that by now. Months of dealing with the general public when she went into the city had taught her some people just refused to believe such a tiny woman could possibly be the famous Lady Lana who was quickly becoming a legend.

Kal-El signaled with one hand and a knight in his green and gold livery rode forward until he was just behind the young duke. Then the knight took the wrappings off a long-handled bundle he carried before holding it straight up in the air and unfurling a green silk flag that fluttered in the light wind. Embroidered on the green silk was the golden eagle that had been the symbol of the El family long before they'd taken the throne.

"This is quite a bit different than the last time I rode through the city," Kal-El confided to Lana.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It was during the war, and it was just me, Bruce, and my ten-man bodyguard. We were dressed as plain soldiers…all except for Bruce in his Cipangan samurai armor…and we just wanted to make it through the city without anyone noticing us."

"And now we're entering the city like conquering heroes or something," Lana added.

"Well…we _did_ help win the war," Kal-El pointed out.

Lana used one hand to tug on the haft of one of her daggers before sliding it back into its sheath, and said, "Yeah…I killed oh so many people with my twin blades." She snorted. "By now, there are probably stories out there claiming I wielded twin swords and slaughtered hundreds."

"Without a doubt. But there are also those in the crowd who know from talking to the knights and soldiers in my army just how many lives you_ saved_ that day."

Once they'd reached the leading edge of the crowd, the people came alive, showering their young duke and his lady with a wall of cheers as they headed into the town itself…and that was only the beginning. The farther they rode into the city, the greater the crowds and the louder the cheer became, until they rode into the city's main square which was choked with people, including many of the city's most prominent citizens. Kal-El and Lana rode close to each other, nearly touching legs as they waved to the crowd. By the time their procession made it to the far side of town, even the normally unflappable Lord Lang was rather impressed.

"I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like that," Lewis said. "That crowd had to have contained more than half the people in the town."

"Lana's just lucky we have a couple of supply wagons that are mostly empty," Kal-El chuckled. "Or else she'd be carrying a load of flowers bigger than her and me combined."

That was true, and it was because all along their winding route through town, little girls had run up to Lana's stirrup to hand her various bouquets of flowers until she was getting overwhelmed with them. After that, the flowers were placed in one of the supply wagons. Kal-El was just happy Lana was an accomplished horsewoman who could easily ride one-handed.

The ducal palace itself was located miles out of town, and people were prohibited from building any closer to the palace for reasons of aesthetics and security. The procession approached the open gate to the expansive palace grounds and began a slow trot up the gravel lane, between a double line of towering cedar trees. Lana began to look around in wonder, drinking in as much as she could of her surroundings. The snow had melted, but no spring growth was evident as she rode toward the distant palace. She had known for months that this palace and its grounds would be her home once she married Kal-El, but this moment was when the reality of it truly struck home.

"This is it," she murmured, as she gestured at the parkland around them. "This is going to be our home."

"It is," Kal-El agreed, "and I can't wait to explore it with you."

"You mean 'show it to me,' right?"

"Nope, I was only here for a few short days last year and had no time for a serious tour of the palace and grounds." Kal-El looked straight into her eyes and smiled. "So now we get to discover our palace together."

Lana returned her gaze to the grounds, and much like Kal-El more than half a year earlier, wondered what it would be like to go for a ride in these woods, or take a walk in the gardens. And also like him, each imagining had one person by her side sharing those pleasures, and that was her beloved Kal-El.

Nearly three miles later, the wide gravel lane finally turned left out of the alley of trees, where it opened onto an immense, open, stone-paved courtyard. That's where Lana received her first unobstructed view of the palace. While Kal-El had only seen another in a long line of palaces during his visit in the fall, Lana marveled at the building's intricate exterior design, the sharply angled blue tile roofs, and the way the white bricks seemed to shimmer in the noonday sun. The main building wasn't as large as the king's winter palace back in Konigsberg, but she could already tell this palace had much more elegance and style.

She couldn't _wait_ to see inside.

Kal-El, Lana, and Lewis crossed the courtyard and brought their horses to a stop. The carriage stopped behind them, but the knights continued on around the far corner of the palace with the supply wagons and the baggage train. When those first horses came to a stop, servants liveried in green-and-gold - who had been on alert all day for their lord's arrival - rushed out to take care of every need. Grooms held the horses by their bridles as the men dismounted. Lana would have dismounted with them, but she had to wait as a pair of servants were carefully placing a mounting block for her to make a more ladylike dismount. As their booted feet touched the courtyard, the grooms led the horses away to be watered, fed, and groomed, while house servants scurried over to offer warm, wet towels so the travelers could wipe the road grime from their faces and hands before moving inside.

Lana looked up the broad but shallow stone-flagged stairway that led to a pair of massive, iron-bound oak doors and shivered. Seeing the grounds as they had ridden inside the main gate had been interesting, even exciting, but that paled in comparison to what she was feeling at this moment. Ever since childhood, where Lana had first imagined marrying a prince one day, she had _dreamed_ of the moment when she would walk inside 'her' palace.

This was that moment.

And Lana was more excited than she had been for anything except for receiving Kal-El's proposal and his parents' acceptance. She reached over and nervously clasped his hand before almost _dragging_ him over to the stairway in her haste to get inside. Lewis, Alicia, and Harold followed a few steps behind, while the house servants disappeared into a service door near the stone stairway.

Just like the last time Kal-El had come to his palace, their were a pair of guards on the top step. Both men stood with their halberds held at an angle, but when their duke drew near, the men 'presented arms' and the door was opened from the inside.

The chamberlain himself - the man in charge of the physical state of the entire palace - was on hand to open the door himself for his lord, and a row of servants stood behind him, ready to escort their lord's guests to their well-appointed rooms and help them prepare for lunch. The chamberlain had been briefed on the names and physical description of the guests by the people Kal-El had sent ahead, so he was easily able to figure out who was who. So when they five travelers stepped inside the doors, the chamberlain was able to greet them by name. What surprised the old man was that his duke did not enter first. Kal-El once again bowed slightly to Lana and followed her inside.

"Welcome, Lady Lana," the chamberlain said, then, "my lord duke, welcome home…" and as the last of the five was welcomed, the chamberlain shut the door firmly behind them. But before the door even closed, Lana had the best feeling in her gut: she'd never been in this palace before in her life, never had come anywhere near it, but nonetheless, she knew she was home.


	96. Chapter 96

Chapter 96

House Tour

Lana wanted nothing more than to grab Kal-El and embark on their palace exploration, but she was still her armor, which she didn't think wasn't suitable for her to wear now that she was in the palace. She didn't want the servants to see her as Sir Lana, instead, she wanted them to see Lady Lana, a young woman of quality who was worthy of their young lord. As she looked around the spacious, marble-floored entryway, the rest of the party entered.

"Is everyone hungry?" Kal-El asked Lana and his three other guests. When they all answered positively, he turned to the chamberlain, and said, "My Lord Chamberlain, my betrothed, our guests, and I will take the noonday meal in the small dining room once we've all had the chance to clean up and change clothes."

The chamberlain signaled with the wave of a finger and the servants rushed forward to escort the duke and his guests to their rooms. Since Lana wasn't yet the duchess, she wasn't allowed to have the duchess' suite, so instead she was escorted with Alicia to the best rooms at the top of the immense Ladies' Tower. Prince Harold and Count Lang were likewise ensconced at the top of the Gentlemen's Tower. There were many other accommodations available throughout the palace, but these were the most luxurious and most prestigious. The young duke was sparing no expense in caring for his first official guests.

Kal-El, however, needed no escort to find his personal suite, which took up half of the top floor of the family quarters. He stopped as he got to the intricately carved, heavy oaken doors to his suite and looked across the hall to a similar set of doors. He'd never been in the duchess' suite, had never even so much as opened the door to take a look, but now he was tempted.

According to tradition, the duchess' suite belonged to her, and not even the duke himself was allowed inside without her express permission. The only thing keeping Kal-El from taking a peek now was that he believed those rooms already belonged to Lana, even though he and she were more than five months away from being married.

As far as he was concerned, Lana Lang was already the mistress of the house.

Kal-El then disappeared into his suite and popped out an hour later ready to find Lana so they could greet their guests together. He ran into the men first, however, finding them huddled together talking quietly to one side of the great gallery. They straightened up in a hurry once they saw him approaching, which caused him to wonder what they'd been talking about. He figured it was probably something to do with Alicia, which made their talk a private matter. The three men stood around chatting a little bit longer before Lana and Alicia made their entrance.

All talk stopped as Kal-El and Harold headed to meet them. Lewis watched with thinly concealed amusement and satisfaction as his two remaining unmarried daughters were greeted by two of the most eligible bachelors currently residing in the kingdom.

"I didn't have time to say it earlier," Kal-El said warmly, after a brief but heated kiss, "but welcome home, Lana dearest."

"Home," Lana said breathily. Her eyes shone as she stepped to her beloved Kal's side and took his arm. "We _are _home. You feel it too, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," he agreed, "and it will be our home for a very long time."

Meanwhile, Harold was greeting Alicia. "You're radiant!" He carefully avoided a kiss with her father present, but swept her into his arms for an enveloping hug.

"We haven't been apart _that_ long, Harold," Alicia giggled.

"Does it have to be a long separation for me to miss you?" Alicia looked up at her prince and shook her head 'no.' "Then I missed you Lady Alicia Lang. May that always be the case."

The girls slipped away from their guys long enough to greet their father with kisses on either side of his cheek. The five of them then headed down the wide, marble-floored hallway toward the dining room. This room was much smaller than the ultra-formal grand dining room on the other side of the palace, and was intended for the use of smaller, more personal gatherings. Kal-El privately pointed out to Lana that there was an even more intimate dining room located in the family quarters for their private use once they married.

The meal was long, delicious, and very comfortable for people who had been eating in comparatively ill-equipped inns ever since leaving Roskilde. Once the meal was over, Lana was all charged up for a private tour of the palace, but one look shared with Kal-El was enough for her to realize they were no longer just a couple. They were home, and that made them hosts. That meant they needed to include her father, sister, and Prince Harold in the tour, too.

Lana grumbled to herself for a moment until she realized Kal-El was waiting for _her_ to make the invitation. She knew that sort of invitation was properly the province of the lady of the house. That served to reinforce the point that this was her home, too…and she was suddenly okay with sharing her tour.

Lana then cleared her throat, somewhat more loudly than necessary, to gather everyone's attention. "Kal-El and I are going to take a tour of the palace in a few moments. We'd be pleased if all of you would join us."

Alicia and Harold looked at Lana, at Kal-El, and then at each other. After a brief whispered consultation, Alicia begged off, saying they'd prefer a warm, sunny room to sit in and a pot of hot tea. Seeing that he would be a third wheel now, and having already realized that Kal-El and Lana likely wanted some time to themselves, Lewis quietly claimed he wanted to speak with his guard commander about the quarters for his guards.

Kal-El felt that was a vague and completely unintentional slight toward the care offered by his staff, but at the moment he really didn't care, not as long as it meant he and Lana would be alone on the tour. After turning down an offer from the chamberlain to provide them with someone to serve as their guide, Kal-El and Lana spent a long, sweet afternoon rambling aimlessly through the palace, discovering the throne room, the ballroom, and the library - which almost ended the tour for Lana, as she saw shelf upon shelf of leather-bound books. A walk along the roof of a tower allowed them to look down across the formal gardens which were just starting to wake from their winter slumber.

"Those are going to be gorgeous when they come in," Lana breathed, as she leaned into the embrasure between two merlons to make up for her lack of height and get a better look over the wall.

Kal-El had taken a quick look at the gardens, but had given up that sight for the superior beauties of Lana's face as she reacted to the layout of hedges, trees, and pathways below. He'd kept quiet until she spoke, but her words compelled him to speak. "They're gorgeous now." Lana looked up and saw where he was looking, causing her to blush prettily and him to grin widely. "You know," he added, "you could just fly down there and give yourself a closer look."

"Yeah," Lana replied drolly, "and give anyone out in the gardens a look straight up my dress."

"Oh!" It was Kal-El's turn to blush for having suggested Lana should risk flashing the gardening staff. "Not still wearing the leather pants then?"

"No. They're just not very dignified, and they look positively _silly _when worn under a dress," Lana smiled.

"Okay, but you'll just be putting them back on after the evening meal."

"I know, I haven't forgotten," Lana grinned up at Kal-El. "Tonight I start to go from merely flying to _soaring."_

Lana was so cute at the moment that he couldn't help but lean into her and rub the tip of his nose against hers. But flying would have to wait. After seeing guest rooms, the kitchens, the stables and more, Lana and Kal-El approached the family quarters. Up 'til now, their self-guided tour had been unsupervised, as there were plenty of servants everywhere to 'protect' Lana's reputation. But now that they were headed into the privacy of the family quarters, Kal-El stopped long enough to get a housemaid to accompany them.

The ground floor of the family quarters contained the family dining room and other equally private rooms for the ducal family's enjoyment, while the second and third floors contained rooms for many children, including a nursery and room for a full complement of nannies.

Lana had been oohing and ahhing over their living quarters, but when she saw the children's rooms, and especially the nursery, she looked up, and said, "Kal, I've just realized I'm going to be a mother long before I'm twenty. Do you think I'm _ready_ for that?"

"I _do_ think you're ready. If you could successfully handle an old bastard like Lord Howland during the war, surely you can handle a child." Kal-El replied simply. "And we'll have lots of help for you. You saw those rooms for the nannies. But remember, Kryptonians don't get pregnant all that easily, so it may actually take a little bit of time for you to get pregnant."

"We _don't?"_

"You didn't know?"

"No," Lana replied, "no one ever bothered to tell me about that little complication."

Kal-El was crestfallen. For some reason, he'd always assumed she had known. "I'm sorry, Lana. I should have made sure you knew."

Lana was silent as she contemplated this new information. Then she thought of the stories she heard from her chambermaids over the last few years, stories about what men and women actually do when they're trying to make babies. Stories she was increasingly anxious to put to the test. A slow smile swept across her face. "Well then, we'll just have to get in plenty of practice, just like with my new abilities."

Kal-El smiled then, too, and swept her into his arms for a hug. "Lots and _lots_ of practice."

Last on their tour were their personal suites on the fourth floor of the family quarters. Kal-El stood back in the hall and waited as Lana pushed open her door and peered into what would soon be her suite. A gasp escaped her lips as she took in the huge anteroom. She gestured to Kal-El to get him to join her, but he shook his head and declined.

Lana was confused by his refusal until the maid stepped in and explained the tradition regarding the duchess' quarters. Lana then rolled her eyes extravagantly and pointedly gave him permission to join her for an exploration of her suite. But Kal-El declined again, more emphatically this time, and before Lana could get any more confused than she already was, he said, "It's not that I don't want to see your rooms, Lana. I do, but it just occurred to me that I'd like to save that first viewing for our first night together as man and wife."

Lana liked that Kal was thinking of them as man and wife, but she figured their first night together would be in the winter palace back in the capital, since that's where the wedding was taking place.

She asked Kal-El about that. His response was to say, "Not a chance. After the wedding and the reception and everything that comes with it, it's my intention that we let everyone see us leave the palace in a royal carriage, as if headed off on a journey, but once we leave the sight of the people in the city, we'll leave the carriage and fly here. Then we can make a drive around town here the next day so our people here can see their new duchess." Kal-El leaned in and kissed Lana softly. "I just don't want to waste several days traveling to get here once we're married."

"Anxious to get started on that 'practice?'" Lana asked, as she wiggled her eyebrows.

Kal-El's eyes glowed a red-orange for just a moment before he got it under control. He knew she had seen it, just from the way her eyes opened wide. "Did that answer your question?"

Lana's eyes glowed in response to his show of passion. She struggled to get her own heat vision under control, and was about to use her cold breath on her hands, when she managed to make the glow recede on her own.

Kal-El saw Lana's small victory, and smiled as he pulled her into his arms. "Let's go downstairs and check on dinner," he murmured into her soft brown hair, "before one of us starts a fire."

"Yeah, I think seeing the rest of my suite can wait until we marry. That'll be one more thing to share with you on that day." She nodded toward the stairs at the end of the hall. "Come on, Kal. Let's go."


	97. Chapter 97

-1Chapter 97

Flying High

When the evening meal was over, Kal-El figured Lana would be in a tearing hurry to change her clothes so they could go flying. He'd never met anyone so anxious to fly in his life, and he was fairly sure her appetite for flying had only increased after they had spent some time getting her familiar with the basics several days earlier.

But Lana had been amazed by the dinner and its featured course, mustard-crusted rack of lamb, which was a longtime favorite meal of hers. She learned early in the meal that Kal-El had sent a special request for the meal to the palace along with the riders he'd sent ahead a few days earlier to alert the palace staff of his imminent arrival. And while she was thought he was sweet, and planned on rewarding him with some special attention of her own later on, nothing would do at the moment but for her to go to the kitchens and thank the chef herself.

The chef, his assistant cooks, and the various scullions were shocked when Lana walked in while everything was still being cleaned and put away. None of them could recall a dinner guest ever coming back to visit the kitchen after a meal…and definitely not someone like the future lady of the house. The chef rapidly assembled his staff, and Lana thanked them for their work on Kal's behalf, giving her special thanks for the mustard-crusted lamb.

The upshot of the visit was that the chef, as soon as he got over his shock, started asking Lana what other dishes she favored so he would have a stream of sure-to-please meals to lean on while he came up with recipes of his own that the duke and his betrothed would really like.

Kal-El had not accompanied Lana into the kitchen. His thought there was that she needed to start establishing her authority as the lady of the house. In that role, she was the titular head of the entire household, which included everything produced by the kitchen staff, so if she chose to speak with them, it was his job to stay out of the way so she could run things the way she wanted them.

When Lana came back from the kitchen, and the last of the dishes were whisked away, Kal-El and Lana led their guests across the wide hallway and into a large, richly-appointed evening drawing room. The men headed to a walnut bar and poured themselves each a healthy snifter of cognac. Lord Lewis had only recently allowed Lana to drink full-strength alcohol herself, but since Alicia was two years younger and was still not allowed any alcohol except for well-watered wine, Lana joined her in a glass of that to keep her from feeling left out.

The five people continued their conversations from the dining room in the opulent luxury of the drawing room, until the talking dried up and Lana began to look anxiously at the slowly darkening skies outside. Kal-El noticed Lana's looks, and rose to his feet, causing everyone else in the room to rise with him.

Kal-El gestured for Lana to go ahead and leave, and then he said, "Lana and I are headed to the open courtyard just behind the main palace building, to sharpen her flying skills. While she goes up to her rooms to change into something more suitable, allow me to invite you all to come out and watch us."

"But I thought it was too dangerous for any of us to watch her," Alicia asked.

Kal-El nodded his head. "It was, back when she had no idea what she was doing, but now that she has a basic control of her powers, it will be safe enough for you to come watch her spread her wings…so to speak."

Lewis quickly accepted for both himself and Alicia, which guaranteed that Prince Harold would be there too. He was trying to walk the fine line between lavishing Alicia with attention, and overwhelming her with it, but he thought this was an important event for the Langs, so he wanted to be there with her.

Once Lana was dressed in one of her rugged knightly tunics, her trusty brown leather pants, and a pair of riding boots, she was so excited that she used a burst of super-speed to race back down the Ladies' Tower and rejoin Kal-El and everybody else. Flying like a drunken duck was one thing, but soaring like the golden eagle on the Borussian flag was another thing altogether. She couldn't wait to get started.

Kal-El took Lana's hand in his and together they led their guests through the maze of passages and out into the large courtyard at the back of the palace. The gardens were visible just beyond the courtyard, and servants were already busy arranging a series of tall pine torches around the perimeter of the courtyard. Other servants were busy arranging a portable table with a decent array of snacks and warm drinks. And before Alicia had time to really notice the slight chill in the air, yet another servant was at her side to help her into her fur coat, which had been rushed down from her suite.

"I guess that tour of the palace you two took this afternoon really paid off," Lewis said to Lana. "You and Kal-El didn't get lost once on the twisty walk out here."

"I'd like to take credit for that," Lana replied, chuckling all the while, "but the truth is, Kal was using his x-ray vision to see which passage went where."

"Pretty handy that," Lewis smiled.

"I haven't found too many uses for it yet, but we've been on the road almost the whole time since the queen and Kal gave me my abilities. I'm sure it will come in handy here in the palace."

Kal-El was in the process of stripping off the heavily brocaded coat he'd had on for dinner, and once that was done, he came back over to claim Lana's hand. "Come on, we have a show to put on for these people."

Author's note: I don't do this much, but this song was in my mind the entire time I wrote this next section. Having said that, here's the link so you can listen to it in the background as you read if you wish to.

.com/watch?v=x5PQ7Hxz2XI

The moment Lana's fingers slipped into Kal-El's he tightened his grip and smoothly flew a foot into the air, waiting for Lana to match him. She rose off the ground, slowly but steadily, with a deep furrow of concentration right across her forehead and her mouth set into a determined grimace. It wasn't much, but just seeing Lana fly was enough to draw a wild grin from Lewis and a round of excited cheers and applause from Alicia.

"Okay, enough of the kiddie stuff," Kal-El said, as he released Lana's hand. "Let's _fly. _Catch me if you can."

Lana grinned at the challenge implicit in Kal-El's voice, and as he moved higher in the sky, she moved to follow him. Over the next half hour, Kal moved at differing speeds and directions and gauged how easy it was for Lana to duplicate. What he noticed was that anytime he just took off without warning, Lana followed reflexively and her flight control was easy and natural. But if he took the time to tell her where they were going next, she tended to have problems.

When Kal-El realized this, he brought them both to a stop, hovering a hundred feet off the ground, their bodies bathed in the last of the dying sunlight. Lana was frustrated with her inconsistent flying, and it was really beginning to bother her.

"Kal," she started, "what am I doing wrong? One minute I'm soaring, just like you said I would be, and the next minute, I'm flying like a drunken duck."

Kal-El didn't say anything at first, instead his hands snaked around her waist and pulled her close. Lana barely had time to register the fact that he was moving in close when Kal-El's lips descended upon hers, capturing them with a heated kiss.

Lana went from frustrated to surprised to all melty inside in the space of a couple of heartbeats, and as her mouth molded itself to his, her lips parted without a thought and Kal-El's tongue slipped right in. Her eyes fluttered closed, and her hands came to rest on his bulging biceps, as her tongue rose to _this_ challenge and began dance with his.

Kal-El and Lana were easily visible to the people waiting on the ground. Alicia looked on interestedly, Harold watched _her, _and Lewis…well, Lewis pretended he couldn't see a thing. When Kal-El finally ended the kiss with a final peck on Lana's lips, she was seeing stars and her stress level was much,_ much_ lower, which had been his intention all along…well, that and getting a hot kiss from her. He'd use any excuse to taste her lips one more time.

"You think too much, Lana," Kal-El said as he held her close while they caught their breath. "Once you know _how_ to fly, the rest is doing, not thinking."

"Just do it?"

"No thinking," Kal-El confirmed. "When you decide where you're going, just…_go."_

Discovering her problem was all Lana needed. It helped her realize she already knew what she needed to know. That knowledge freed her to _relax_…and to _soar._

Lana rocketed across the sky then, and it was Kal-El who was having to keep up, as they played an impromptu game of tag amongst the low-hanging clouds. She darted in and out of the fluffy whiteness, with him trailing behind her, both of them laughing and completely enjoying the moment. And when he finally touched her ankle, he then raced off to be chased by her in turn.

Lana felt she could have stayed in the air all night long, but instead of greeting the next day's rising sun, she remembered her guests and responsibilities on the ground and finally floated to a landing right in front of her father. "Daddy!" she squealed, as Alicia drew close. "Did you see that? I flew!"

"Yes, Lana," Lewis agreed, as he drew her into his arms for a hug. "I saw you. We all did. So tell me, what is it like?"

"Well, lemme tell you…"

While Lewis and Alicia were caught up with Lana's excited burbling, Kal-El had landed in front of his friend Harry. "What are you doing over here with me, Kal?" Harry asked.

Kal-El gestured toward Lewis and Alicia. "Those two just witnessed that Lana is truly different now, so I thought they could use a little private family time before I stuck my nose in there." He then turned to Harry and raised an eyebrow. "I saw you and Lewis talking today before lunch. He say anything that you want to tell me? Or is it private?"

Harry grimaced. "No, he told me first, but it will be publicly announced as soon as we reach the winter palace."

"What will?"

"That Alicia is off limits for the next two years," Harry said sourly, "as far as any engagement or marriage is concerned anyway."

"Well…I see his point. I mean, she _is_ only fifteen." Kal-El knew other reasons, too, but hesitated to speak them. Then he reluctantly decided his friend needed to hear them. "And while you're her first suitor, you won't be the last. This two years will give her and her father plenty of time to meet and evaluate those other suitors." Kal-El clapped a meaty hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't think your work is over merely because you've got Alicia smiling again. Lord Lewis just put you on notice: every move you make is being watched and evaluated."


	98. Chapter 98

Chapter 98

The Welcoming Committee

Kal-El, Lana and her family, and Harold spent the next several days enjoying the comforts of the palace as they rested from the rigors of their journey. Lana and Kal-El proudly led an informal tour of their new home, showing off rooms they themselves hadn't seen before the day of their arrival.

During this second tour, Lana got a better look at things and started to notice the furnishings and decorations were somewhat out of date. When she pulled Kal-El to one side and told him this, it didn't bother him, because he didn't care much about things like that. He did know, however, how long it had been since his parents had first taken over this very same palace.

"You know how old my parents are, right?" Kal-El asked. When Lana nodded yes, he went on, "Well, they first moved into this palace back when they were not much older than we are now. I'll bet it's been that long since there has been a major renovation or redecoration of this place."

Lana gave a low whistle, and Kal-El dropped another load on her shoulders. "So once we marry and move here permanently, you'll be in charge of updating and renovating this place."

"Me?" Lana asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course you," Kal-El replied. "Don't tell me you want to trust_ me_ with a job like that…we might end up with captured war banners hanging as tapestries in our formal dining room."

Lana shuddered delicately, and said, "Okay, Kal. You win, but I don't want to hear you complaining about my choices…or about the bill for what this is going to cost."

Kal-El leaned in and quickly kissed Lana on the lips, dragging her lower lip into his mouth before releasing her and gazing at her goofily. "I trust you, Lana…with the contents of my treasury…and the contents of my heart."

Lana wanted to melt into Kal's arms that very instant for a major kiss, but a slight clearing of the throat from her nearby father brought her and Kal back to reality, and she blushed as they rejoined the others for the rest of the tour. And acting as if nothing had happened, she announced, "Kal-El and I have just decided the palace is in need of a major renovation, so don't get too used to anything you're seeing. And it looks like I'll get free rein over the ducal treasury to do it."

Lewis nearly choked when Lana announced that, earning him a few light slaps on the back from her. And when he then murmured, just loud enough for everyone to hear, "Good luck with _that," _Lana's light slaps became slightly harder as she rolled her eyes at him, and everyone laughed.

While everyone enjoyed their time in the ducal palace, soon enough it was time to go. When the wagons were finally reloaded with chests filled with personal belongings, and everyone was ready to go, Kal-El pulled the Lord Chamberlain aside, along with the Housekeeper, for a brief but pointed conversation. Lana asked Kal-El what he'd needed with the staff just before leaving, but he refused to answer, smiling and saying only there were certain small things she didn't need to know. Lana eyed Kal-El curiously, but let it go, as she trusted him the same way he trusted her.

The trip from Borussia to Königsberg promised to be quick and easy, as the kingdom was spider-webbed with wide, smooth stone-paved highways that connected all of the major cities. Lana wanted to ride a horse along with Kal and her father, but this was her first real chance to spend extended time alone with Alicia since Kal had told her about her father's proclamation. So, Lana smiled and pre-empted Harold's wish to ride with Alicia, claiming that seat for herself.

Once the carriage was underway, and the clattering of horses' hooves and the rattling of the carriage made overhearing them impossible, Lana pulled a tightly-stoppered bottle of fresh lemonade out of a large wicker hamper of treats she had asked for the day before, and asked Alicia if she wanted some for herself. Alicia was about to decline, as she wasn't fond of warm drinks on a warm day, when Lana rather pointedly used her cold breath to frost over the outside of the bottle.

"Oh yeah," Alicia said quietly. "I keep forgetting about that." She scratched aimlessly at the corner of one eye. "In that case, I'll take a glass."

Lana had also sent the maid that had been scheduled to ride with Alicia and Harold back to the maids' carriages so they could have a private chat. That stopped any unnecessary gossip by the maids, but it meant Lana and Alicia would have to do for themselves. So, Lana poured out two glasses and handed one to Alicia. Once the bottle of lemonade was tightly stoppered once more, she looked over at her sister, and asked, "So, how are things between you and Prince Harold? Has he truly made his way back into your heart? Or does it just look that way from the outside?"

Alicia took a careful first sip of the lemony-sweet drink, and then stared at the glass as it rested on her lap, before looking at her older sister and saying, "I'm not sure. When Harold's with me, everything feels like it did back in Krakovia. He's apologized very sincerely and written me several love letters, and in general, made me feel like I'm the only woman in the world for him."

Lana could tell just from the way Alicia spoke that there was another side to the story, and she began to wonder if her father's two-year moratorium on anything official for Alicia might not have been Alicia's own idea in the first place. Still, Lana wanted to know for sure, and there was only one way she could do that. "But…?"

"But," Alicia said, agreeing that there was more to her story, "I've felt like I was the only woman in his life before, and yet, as soon as our family left for home, he seemed to forget about me."

Lana nodded. "Out of sight, out of mind."

"Exactly!" Alicia agreed. "And when I compare that to how Kal-El treated _you,_ managing to write you love letters while in the midst of fighting a war…"

"You want someone to love you like that."

"Yeah…and now that I don't have to marry someone just to secure a comfortable life or improve the family fortunes, I'm determined to _have_ it."

"So," Lana said speculatively, "you _did_ get Father to put a stop to any and all proposals, didn't you?"

Alicia shook her head no, and took another sip of her lemonade before replying. "Not really. I just told him I didn't want to get rushed. He decided this was the best, surest way to be positive I had all the time I needed."

Lana reached across the narrow seating area to pat one of Alicia's arms. "You're right, you have plenty of time to choose." Lana could think of another reason for Alicia to wait: if the girl waited two more years to get married, her wedding would get the attention it deserved instead of being buried by the hoopla surrounding Lana's own wedding. But she knew Alicia didn't want to hear that, so what she said was, "According to Kal, King Richard should be bring a number of his favorite lords with him when he escorts Princess Mara and her ladies back home, and some of those lords are still looking for the right lady."

The idea of a new set of prospects brightened Alicia mood, something Lana had known would happen, and that made her wonder more and more about how much work Kal's friend Harold still had left to do to win Alicia's hand.

After a few days of easy traveling, the small cavalcade approached the outskirts of Königsberg and headed directly to the spacious grounds of the winter palace. Lana and Kal-El were riding side-by-side on horses for the last portion of the trip, and as they made their way through the capital city, their small, well-guarded procession drew crowds of curious onlookers.

When the column of horses, carriages, and wagons neared the cathedral, Lana brought it to a stop, and guided her horse a few steps forward so she would have an unimpeded view. Curious, Kal-El followed along behind a few moments later.

"What's up?"

Lana turned toward Kal-El as he reached her side. "Can we attend some services at the cathedral before we get married?"

"You don't like the chapel at the palace any more?"

"No, the chapel suits me just fine," Lana shifted her position on her saddle and turned more fully toward Kal-El, "but I don't think I'd like my first time inside the cathedral to be the day I walk down the aisle to marry you."

"I guess that could be a little intimidating." Kal-El nodded his head thoughtfully. "The building _is_ huge, and - believe it or not - it looks even bigger from the inside."

Lana looked at Kal-El curiously. "When have _you_ ever been inside the cathedral?"

"I've been to a number of prominent weddings there over the years." He shrugged his shoulders. "My family has a box right down front, so if you want to attend services here, just let me know and we'll do it."

Lana turned her eyes back to the cathedral for one last look before wheeling her horse around and returning to her spot in the column. Once Kal-El had joined her, he signaled for the column to begin to move once more.

When the main palace gates finally came into view, the whole column unconsciously picked up its pace, trotting by the members of the Royal Household Guard who manned the gates, and heading down the tree-lined lane before finally passing through the tunnel and into the huge central courtyard. Kal-El quickly dismounted, and hustled over to politely help Lana down from her horse, even though she did not need it now that she was Kryptonian. But while she didn't need his help with dismounting her horse, she accepted it anyway, loving how attentive he was.

As the grooms walked off with Kal-El and Lana's horses, the prince and his soon-to-be princess made their way up the steps - hand-in-hand - to the wide double doors which were flung open just as they reached the top step.

"Who do you think will find you first?" Kal-El asked, as they stepped through the doors. "Your ladies, Mother, or Grandma?"

"Well…" Lana said. She paused a moment as the servants approached to take the rain cloaks she and Kal-El had been wearing all day. And as the cloaks were taken away, a second wave of servants approached with both wet and dry towels, to allow the newcomers to wash the road grime from their faces and hands.

Lewis, Alicia, and Harold were just coming in the front doors and handing off their cloaks as Kal-El and Lana were holding out their hands for the wet towels, when suddenly, both Kal-El and Lana felt a twisting in their guts. The pain increased with every moment that passed, and Lana clutched her belly, wondering what could be wrong with her.

The more experienced Kal-El, however, knew it was Kryptonite sickness, and immediately bellowed "Treason!" as loud as he could manage, even as he stumbled to the floor. That one word galvanized the guards into action. Swords were drawn and guards looked for the imminent threat, even as they rushed to form a ring around the prince and his lady.

But they were too late.

As Kal-El fell to the floor, and tried to pull the hunched-over Lana down so he could shield her body with his, he saw a flash of brilliant green and then heard her scream in a way that made Kal-El himself feel like he was dying.


	99. Chapter 99

Chapter 99

Just Breathe

Lana screamed and seemed to fall in slow-motion as she collapsed in a heap on top of Kal-El's writhing body.

After that, everything happened in a confused rush.

Panicked servants turned and fled the entrance hall as the royal household guards charged in and knocked the assailant to the floor. They would have ended his life on the spot, had Lord Lang not rushed up behind them and screamed at them to keep their prisoner alive so he could be questioned. Harold, meanwhile, grabbed Alicia around the waist, threw her up against the closest wall, and stepped in front of her as he pulled his sword and dagger to defend her against an unknown threat.

Once Lewis was sure the guards wouldn't kill the prisoner, he turned to his _personal_ priority and wormed his way inside the guard ring - after giving up his own sword and dagger - to help his beloved daughter. Just then, more guards poured into the room from their nearby posts with swords already drawn, looking for blood.

Lana thrashed about in pain on top of Kal-El, who was still in a fair amount of pain himself. Just as Lewis was wondering how _either_ of the two Kryptonians was hurt in the least, Kal-El muttered, "Kryp - to - nite blade."

That piece of information sent Lewis from confusion to the edge of a full-blown terror. Regretting the need, he lifted one side of Lana's body to see if the blade was still embedded in her body. He didn't see a blade, but what he _did_ see was a pair of red spots on the tabard Lana had chosen to wear over her blouse and leather pants for the ride today. The spots were sodden and rapidly _growing._

Hearing his daughter in such wordless pain was killing Lewis as surely as it was Kal-El, but he knew he had to be strong for her, and for the prince, and put his pain aside for just a few minutes longer. Not having seen the blade in or under Lana, Lewis turned to the prisoner, who had a burly guard on top of each arm and leg, and searched the man frantically before finding what _felt_ like a dagger trapped between the man's chest and the marble floor. He grabbed the dagger and yanked it free. The hilt of the dagger was unadorned and made of plain iron, but the blade itself was solid green Kryptonite and it glowed as if lit from within.

Lewis turned wildly, found a small gap in the encircling ring of guards, and threw the dagger across the room. As the dagger skittered across the floor and slammed up against the far wall, the glow that had seemed to animate the blade died away, and the two Kryptonians on the floor began to breathe easier. At this point, Lewis had done all he knew to do. He wasn't sure how Kryptonians recovered after exposure to the green mineral, so he stayed where he was and fought off his panic as he waited for instruction from anyone who knew better.

"Get Lana off of me, Lewis, and get her outside into the courtyard and into full sunlight," Kal-El said, as the blade lost its ability to affect him.

Lewis had seen Lana's bleeding and wasn't sure moving her was worth the risk of additional injury, but he assumed the prince knew better, so he picked up his still-screaming daughter and rushed from the room.

Just as Kal-El rolled over and staggered to his feet to follow Lewis and Lana outside, a couple of the servants that had been stationed in the entrance hall made their way to the anteroom where everyone waited before being allowed entrance into the throne room itself.

Inside the throne room, the king and queen were holding court, listening to one petitioner after another, when they heard a growing disturbance out in the anteroom. They were content to allow the seneschal and his guards to handle the problem, but within moments, the immense bronze doors were thrown open and the seneschal _ran,_ not walked, toward the dais. A pair of guards stepped forward to intercept the man, but he stopped well short of them. Both royals were concerned, as the seneschal was a dignified older lord who never hurried anywhere at any time. For him to be running now meant something serious had happened.

"What is it, Lord Buckner?" Jor-El asked as he leaned forward.

"Your Majesty," Lord Buckner said, his eyes wide with panic. "There's been an assassination attempt." Those words were spoken loud enough for every person present to hear them easily. That caused a uproar as everyone speculated on who had been attacked.

"Silence!" Jor-El roared. "I will have silence or I will clear the room!" When his uncharacteristic roar was reinforced with a stern glare at everyone in the room, absolute silence was achieved in mere moments. Once the throne room was quiet once again, Jor-El said, "Who was attacked, Lord Buckner? And where?"

Both Jor-El and Lara were leaning in to listen now, as Lord Buckner gathered his composure, and said, "The report was confused, Your Majesty, but the servants who witnessed the attack saw both Crown Prince Kal-El and Lady Lana Lang collapse during the brief moments before they themselves turned and ran."

Even the threat of royal displeasure wasn't enough to silence the crowd now, not after hearing that the prince and his lady love had been attacked. And as the crowd noise built, Jor-El pounded his armrest in frustration, and then leapt from his throne, landing on the floor several feet in front of the dais on which the thrones were located, and headed straight for Lord Buckner.

Lara followed Jor-El as he picked the seneschal up off the floor and carried him from the room at a rapid pace. Once they'd left the throne room and passed through the anteroom, the three stopped in the relative quiet of the hallway, and Jor-El asked a one-word question: "_Where?"_

"In the entrance hall to this very…palace." Lord Buckner's voice trailed off as one moment he was faced with a very anxious-looking king and queen, and the next moment, they were nowhere to be seen.

By the time the super-speeding king and queen found Kal-El and Lana, she was lying in her father's arms in the afternoon sunlight of the east end of the stone-paved courtyard, with Kal-El standing next to them, and a cordon of menacing-looking royal household guards surrounding them.

A few moments in direct sunlight had been plenty to restore Kal-El to full health after his encounter with the Kryptonite, but not Lana. It was true she was breathing much better, and her bleeding seemed to have stopped, but her wounds hadn't closed up yet, and she was still in agony.

Kal-El wanted to be holding Lana more than anything, but he left her with Lewis because he was afraid of jostling her in her wounded state, and because he more than suspected her father had no intention of handing off _his_ little girl to _anyone_ at this moment.

Seeing their son standing tall helped ease the minds of the royal couple, but finding Lana stricken, with blood all over her abdomen, angered them both all over again.

"Why isn't Lana healed?" Jor-El asked his wife quietly as the ring of guards parted at their approach. "She _is_ fully Kryptonian now isn't she?"

Lara placed both of her hands on Jor-El's nearest bicep and held onto it as she leaned against him. "Yes, Dear. I saw her demonstrate that fact." She then used her x-ray vision on Lana's blood-soaked abdomen. "One stab wound in her side, just below the ribcage," Lara said clinically, as she slipped into healer mode, "and another in the front of her abdomen. Both wounds have numerous tiny fragments of Kryptonite embedded inside them."

"Can you heal her?" Kal-El asked hopefully, almost painfully eagerly, as his parents came to a stop at his side. As soon as he'd regained his strength, he'd tried his own meager ability on her and found it wanting, but he had hopes his mother's superior skill at using magic to heal would make the difference.

"No, Kal," Lara said, "you know better than that. Spells powered by our solar energy won't touch the green Kryptonite, and once the Kryptonite is removed from her body, it will heal on it's own," she looked around irritably, "provided that damn doctor of ours gets here before the sun sets behind the west wing." Lara saw her son was so hurt by Lana's condition, so obviously desperate to do anything to help, that she decided to make use of him. "Kal, there's something you _can_ do to help Lana right now."

"Name it," Kal said, almost before the words were out of his mother's mouth.

"Go inside and find the doctor. Make sure he has his medical bag, and then bodily carry him out here. Now go."

The word 'go' had barely finished echoing off the nearest palace wall when a pleased with himself and very relieved Kal-El deposited the completely flustered palace doctor right in front of Lewis and Lana.

"I must say," the kindly old gentleman said, "this is most highly irregular." Then he saw the king and queen, and realized he'd been carried out here by the prince himself, before shutting up and listening as Lara repeated the results of her x-ray scan of Lana's body.

As the man dug an array of razor-sharp knives out of his bag and laid them out on top of a clean cloth on the ground, Lara tried to distract her son by pulling him to one side and asking, "Do you remember asking me once, when you little, why the palace doctors were always non-Kryptonians?"

Kal-El didn't really recall that question, but it sounded like something he would have asked, so he said, "Not really, but please, tell me why."

"Because of incidents just like this one. The only thing that can hurt us is the green Kryptonite, so it stands to reason that the doctor in charge of our health needs to be able to do one thing and one thing only: remove green Kryptonite from our bodies as fast as possible, so our natural sun-infused healing abilities can do the rest."

"I see," Kal-El replied. He took a worried look over his shoulder to watch as Lana's still-limp form was lowered to the ground by Lewis and the doctor. "A Kryptonian doctor couldn't help because he wouldn't be able to touch her wounds."

"Exactly."

"So…he's going to cut into Lana to get the fragments out." It wasn't a question; Kal-El knew that had to be the plan, but it didn't make it any easier for him to imagine, much less say out loud. The idea of Lana being intentionally cut into made him want to retch, and his legs felt rather wobbly.

Lara nodded her head yes and then tried to lead him away. When he resisted, she said softly, "Son, you don't want to listen to Lana's shrieks as he cuts her. It's going to hurt you like nothing else in your _life." _She tugged on his arm once more. "Please come away from here until she's healed."

"I'm not the one in pain, Mother, Lana is. She needs me right now, my future wife _needs_ me…" Kal-El shrugged off his mother's hand and started to push past her, "…and I'm _going _to be there for her."

When Kal-El knelt at Lana's side and gripped her tiny hand, her mouth spread into a brief grin before she winced with pain once more. "Glad you could make it," she whispered. Lana could talk louder than that, but she had already discovered that speaking softly reduced the stress on her abdomen, thus reducing her pain.

"I wouldn't miss this for anything."

Lewis held Lana's other arm, and two guardsmen were called in to hold down her legs as the doctor made his final preparations. The last thing done before starting the cuts was to place a leather-wrapped wooden dowel between Lana's teeth, with the intent being to keep her from biting her tongue during the impromptu operation.

"Ready, Lana?" Lewis asked. When Lana nodded her head and grunted, Lewis turned to the doctor and said, "Be fast and get it all."

Lara stood right over the doctor's shoulder, ready to use her x-ray vision to help him find each and every piece of the green poison. The knife blade flashed in the light of the setting sun, and it was just as rough on Lana, and on Kal-El, as Lara had said it would be. Knowing Lana would heal instantly once he was through, the doctor cut deep and fast to open her wounds enough for him to dig out the fragments of Kryptonite with his tweezers, and Lana's scream dwarfed anything she had yet uttered in both length and intensity.

Lana's body convulsed, but without her Kryptonian abilities, the four men holding her down had no difficulty keeping her down. Kal-El, however, was in an agony all his own. While he was whispering at Lana to 'be strong,' and that 'it will all be over soon,' he himself was knotting up on the inside as he watched the woman he loved in sheer, unremitting agony. As Lana's pain grew, so did Kal-El's, until tears were flowing freely down his cheeks and his whispered words of encouragement were replaced by wordless sobs.

The moment the last fragment left Lana's body was easy to tell, as Lana gasped from the sudden lack of pain just before she pulled loose from the two guardsmen who'd been holding down her legs and Lord Lang, and rolled over, sat up, and fell into Kal-El's arms for a crushing hug and a good cry.

"Why, Kal?" Lana sobbed. "Why did someone attack me? What have I ever done?"

Kal-El was sitting on the ground with Lana, one arm around her shoulders and his other hand stroking her long, soft brown hair. He was focused on soothing Lana as she let loose with her emotions, but someone else was listening with a colder ear.

"'Why' is exactly right, Lara," a steely-eyed Jor-El said to his wife, who had just stood up again. "Whoever attacked Lana just attacked my family, and I'm going to find out who it was."

"And if the guilty party was put up to the attack by a foreign power?" Lara asked, fairly sure she already knew the answer.

"Then a state of war will exist between Alemannia and that foreign power, one which I will prosecute to the bitter end."

Kal-El also heard what his father said, and he fully agreed, but at the moment, Lana was still his priority. "Lewis?" he said, as he stood up with her still in his arms. "Lana needs a good, solid dose of sunshine, and with the sun setting below the west wing, she's not going to get it here, so with your permission, I'd like to see that she gets what she needs."

"Bring her back," an emotionally spent Lewis said, as he eyed the two shaken lovers, "but…don't hurry."

"But Lana's reputation…" Kal-El said.

"…will survive a few minutes in mid-air." Lewis smiled tiredly and waved Kal-El away. Lord Lang had lost three wives in his life, and was quite familiar with how Lana and her prince had to have been feeling over the last few minutes. He strongly suspected the only balm for their hearts would be some private time with each other. "Go, help her heal. And let her heal you."

Kal-El rocketed into the air with Lana safely curled up in his arms. He could have stopped a few hundred feet up, well within sight of the ground, but Lord Lang had just given him permission to take some private time with Lana. That was one thing he didn't need to be told twice.

Lana held on for dear life, not because she was scared, but because she'd almost just lost everything, and most precious of those things was the man currently shooting her up through a thick layer of fluffy clouds. The inside of a cloud is wet, something Lana had never even suspected before learning to fly, and while she would normally would have hated getting wet, right now she was just enjoying the exhilarating feeling of being alive.

Once the intertwined lovers popped out of the top of the cloudbank, Kal-El turned them so that Lana was facing the sun. "How's that feel?" he asked.

Lana asked groaned with pleasure, as she felt the power of the sun flowing into her body once more. "Oh my God, that feels _good."_

Kal-El was now behind Lana, holding her with a hand on each side of her ribcage just below her breasts, when he whispered in her ear. "Let me know when you feel good enough to fly on your own."

With only the skin on her face, neck, and arms open to the sun, it took Lana a little while to soak up the needed solar energy, but when she was finally ready, she murmured, "It's time."

Kal-El released his hold on Lana and moved back from her just enough to give her some room, while staying close enough to catch her instantly if she wasn't quite ready. But instead of flying around in an exuberant display, she just turned in place to face him. Both had been crying just before leaving the ground, and they still had the red eyes and the tear-streaked cheeks to prove it.

Coming face to face with each other, they also came face to face with the fact that they'd almost lost each other before they even got married. Words were in short supply, but emotion was not, and the two lovers crashed together in a furious kiss. Kal-El's lips sucked on Lana's top lip, while _her_ lips did the same to his lower lip, with the result being that their faces were drawn closer and closer.

Hot breath, insistent kisses, sharp nips, and greedy nibbles marked their frantic, almost desperate make out, but that wasn't enough, not for either of them, so as Lana's hands rose up to clasp both sides of Kal-El's head and sink into his unruly ebon locks, and as his hands moved to surround her tiny waist, they both tilted their heads to their right, opened their mouths, and snaked their tongues out to deepen their kissing even further.

Kryptonians don't run out of air very easily, but fire of the their unleashed passion made it happen for Kal-El and Lana. As they rested their heads on the other's shoulder, Kal-El gasped for air, and said, "I was so scared. I thought I was going to lose you."

"I have to admit," Lana replied, "for a minute there, I thought you were right. But then you brought me up here, and suddenly…everything was all right again."

Kal-El pulled his head off of Lana's shoulder and moved back just enough to see her entire face. "You know, this would've been a lot easier if we were already married," Kal-El said, with an overly innocent grin on his face.

"Oh? How so?" Lana asked. She saw the look on Kal-El's face and _knew_ he was up to something.

"If we were married, you could've exposed a _lot_ more skin and absorbed the solar energy much faster, thus allowing you to _heal_ faster."

"More skin, eh?" Lana smirked. "Are you sure _healing _is your only interest in this?"

Kal-El held up one hand as if preparing to take an oath, but his expression was dominated by a very nearly silly smile. "I swear."

"In that case…" Lana's voice trailed off as she reached down, grasped the hem of her tabard, and slowly drew it up her body. She had a couple of layers of cloth on under the tabard, but Kal-El didn't know that. Not for sure anyway, so his eyes grew wider with every inch that hem rose.

Lana was enjoying turning the tables on her beloved Kal, but right about the time her leather-clad hips were fully in view, she dropped the hem, allowing the tabard to fall back into place. "Only five or so more months to go."

"I don't know if I'm gonna make it."


	100. Chapter 100

Chapter 100

The Other Couple

Lana and Kal-El wanted to stay aloft in their own little world, but the reality of their situation soon intruded upon them, and they spiraled down through the cold, wet clouds. One look by Lana at her blood-soaked tabard was enough to get her to hover in mid-air, with Kal-El stopping beside her. She used her x-ray vision to peer through the remaining clouds and saw a large and still-growing crowd at the main entrance to the palace, right where they had taken off from.

Wanting to avoid another scene _and_ have time to clean up before facing the diners at the evening meal, Lana suggested flying to the far side of the palace grounds, zooming in low over the gardens, and coming to a landing at the back end of the palace before sneaking inside. Kal-El was in total agreement, and they headed down once more. Everything went as planned, until the moment they landed on the wide garden path just outside of the palace itself.

There they met two people they hadn't expect to see for several days yet; Mara and Richard were rushing up the steps to the palace door just as Kal-El and Lana landed. Each couple was shocked by the other's appearance, and the four of them just stood there for a moment looking at each other.

One look at Lana's blood-soaked tabard was all it took, however, for Mara to shake herself loose. "Oh, _Lana!"_ she gasped, as a horrified look swept across her face. "What hap…"

Mara stopped herself from finishing the painfully obvious question, and Lana said, "I'm fine. Perfectly healthy in fact."

Assured on that point, Mara turned to her brother, and asked heatedly, "I thought Mother said Lana was one of us now. _What happened?"_

"It was a knife with a green Kryptonite blade," Kal-El said grimly.

That made Mara hiss, a sound much like water on a hot griddle. They both knew how rare Kryptonite was, and just how unlikely it was that a random assassin could have procured enough to make a proper blade. Her gaze grew in intensity, as she asked, in carefully modulated tones, "Dead or alive?"

"Alive…but not for long," came the grim reply. All three of Kal-El's listeners knew the would-be assassin _had _to be executed for his crime; the only question in Mara's mind at the moment was whether the headsman would get the chance to do his job, or if Kal-El would save him the trouble. She knew how fierce he had been about protecting her - his initial reaction to Richard had been proof of that - so she could only imagine the anger that filled him after seeing his love struck down at his side.

Lana hadn't seen Kal-El's face, but she had heard his tone of voice, and could just _imagine_ barely controlled rage contorting his face. She half-turned toward him and reached a hand up to stroke the smooth skin along his jaw line as she looked into his eyes. Lana didn't say a word, she didn't have to, as her touch and her soft gaze were all that was necessary to calm him down.

Mara smiled when she saw how Lana's merest touch could ease her brother's mind; Richard, on the other hand, saw in Kal-El and Lana a mirror of the way he and Mara had come to feel about each other. Much of the long winter months in Anglia and the storm-tossed sea voyage back to Alemannia had been spent broadening and deepening their love, to the point that the young king was half wishing he could marry Mara now, instead of waiting to get married at home in front of his own people like a good king _should_ do.

Once Mara had been assured of Lana's good health, she batted her baby blues at Kal-El and asked to be allowed to make the introductions. He laughed at her transparent use of puppy dog eyes, and gestured for her to go ahead. She happily turned to her escort and asked formally, "Richard? May I introduce someone to you?" Mara's sudden formality made Richard roll his eyes extravagantly, which showed Kal-El and Lana just how close their counterparts really were. Mara pointedly ignored Richard's eye roll and smiled in triumph as she pulled Lana to within an arm's reach of him.

Kal-El chuckled at the play between Richard and Mara. She tended to act so seriously, so_ maturely,_ that he sometimes forgot she was still only seventeen years old. Of course, _that_ realization made him look at Lana, as she was seventeen also. _Such a burden to place on her, _Kal-El thought._ I wonder if she realizes all she's getting herself into by marrying me._

"Richard? This is Lady Lana Lang, the second daughter of…" Mara paused to lean toward Lana and ask in a loud whisper, "What's your father's title now?"

"He's the Count of Albemarle," Lana replied proudly, "and his name is Lewis."

"Okay, thanks," Mara said. She then resumed her position midway between Richard and Lana. "This is Lady Lana Lang, the second daughter of Lord Lewis Lang, the Count of Albemarle. She is also betrothed to my brother, the Crown Prince of Alemannia, and as such is our kingdom's next queen."

Mara then turned to Lana to complete the introductions. "Lana, this is Richard, King of Anglia…" she bit her lip and looked back to Richard, who gave her a quick nod of encouragement. Mara face Lana again, but turned her eyes on her brother, to gauge his reaction. "Not only is Richard the King of Anglia, but sometime next year, I'm going to become his wife."

Lana grinned immediately, and her first instinct was to grab Mara in a tight hug, but she realized just in time that she was still a bloody mess, and instead chose to reach out and squeeze the back of Mara's hand while giving her an excited smile.

Kal-El, however, was dumbfounded. "Father's approved?" he asked, somewhat hesitantly.

"It's official," Mara affirmed, as Richard moved in behind her to wrap his arms around her slender waist. She leaned back against his chest when she felt his encircling arms, and rested her hands on top of his.

A slow, wondering smile spread across Kal-El's face, as he asked Richard, "Do you think I could borrow my sister for a few moments?"

When Richard released Mara, the siblings came together in a joyous hug, while Lana and Richard stood off to one side, watching the Els while quietly congratulating each other on their impending nuptials. Once the congratulations were over, the four of them moved inside, where Lana was immediately intercepted by Lady Irilta.

"Took you four long enough to come inside," Irilta grouched.

"How long were you standing there spying on us, Grandma?" Mara asked pointedly.

"Spying, schmying, I was inside where I couldn't hear a thing," the older woman said. "I've been waiting at this door for Lana almost from the moment she and this great big lummox she's intent on marrying took off."

"Thanks, Grandma," Kal-El chuckled. "To the rest of the world I'm a prince…to you I'm just a big lummox."

"Well…you were supposed to protect Lana, were you not?" Irilta shot back heatedly. "And you failed…_miserably."_

Stunned by her verbal assault, Kal-El wasted no time in firing back, while Mara and Richard chose that moment to slip away. "What the Hell was I supposed to do, Grandma? We were attacked in Father's own palace by one of our own servants…and the guy had a knife with a Kryptonite blade!"

That stopped Irilta in her tracks. She really _hadn't_ heard the conversation outside, and what little she'd heard about the attack had been second and third hand. "So there really was a Kryptonite blade, eh?" She tucked her tongue in the corner of her mouth before looking at Lana. "And you really are Kryptonian now." It wasn't phrased as a question, but Lana confirmed her thought anyway.

But before she could say any more, Kal-El said, "How does a mere servant manage to get his hands on enough of the rarest mineral on the planet to make an entire knife blade? He won't make that much money in his entire lifetime."

"Especially not now that he's about to be executed," Irilta joked darkly. She turned to Lana, and said, "Dear, go on up to your room and get changed for dinner. I've made sure your chambermaids are waiting for you. Meanwhile, your ladies-in-waiting are standing out front to help make everyone think you're going to land there, so you should have enough time to get ready."

Lana and Kal-El kissed, keeping it brief and sweet, before she scurried off to cleanup and change into something appropriate for her station. Kal-El offered her one little piece of advice before she left him, and that was to be careful entering the women's wing of the palace, as the guards at every entrance wore training medallions which would rob her of her powers for a few seconds as she went by them.

Once Lana was out of sight, Irilta looked up at her grandson and asked, "Lend an old woman the use of your arm?"

Kal-El knew his grandmother was as spry as they came, but he figured she wanted to talk to him for a bit, so he humored her and offered her his arm to lean on. They'd made two turns and were headed in the general direction of the crowd in the courtyard before she finally pulled him into a deserted room and shut the door behind them.

"Cast one of those silence spells around us if you would, my boy. Can't risk having that gentle-souled girl of yours overhear us with her new abilities."

Kal-El didn't want to cast the spell if it was just to keep Lana in the dark, but then he reasoned that she wasn't listening in on them in the first place, and even if she was, he would tell her everything anyway, so he went ahead and cast the spell.

Once she was sure Kal-El had done as she asked, Irilta finally spoke. "When your father finally allows you to execute that son of a bitch," she growled, "make sure it's done publicly and that the little shit suffers and suffers and _suffers _before he's allowed to die."

"What the Hell, Grandma?" asked a shocked Kal-El.

"This would-be assassin must be made an example of. The people have to know there is no mercy, no leniency, for any who would try to kill any part of your family."

"Dead is dead, Grandma. I won't be a party to needless torture."

"Kal-El…" Irilta said, as she continued her argument.

"No!" Kal-El said, as he cut her off. "Have you ever killed anyone?" His eyes were sharply focused on hers as he asked a question he already knew the answer to. When all Irilta did was to shake her head 'no,' he said, "I have. Twice. The first time, I killed twenty-four soldiers who were doing their master's business. They had killed some of Lana's servants and were either going to kill me, or kidnap her. I butchered them like so many hogs, Grandma, blood was everywhere, but none of them suffered needlessly.

"The second time, was in the aftermath of the one battle in the war. Zod knew he was beaten, and his army was crushed. He came after me, maybe hoping to kill me, maybe just wanting to die in battle. But I defeated him in single combat and sentenced him on the spot before executing him swiftly and cleanly.

"In neither instance was an act of brutality necessary to get across the point I intended to make. And neither is brutality needed here. A simple execution in front of the lord mayor's palace will be a perfect object lesson. So unless Father orders otherwise, that's all that will happen. Got it?"

Kal-El didn't even wait for his grandmother's answer before dissolving the dome of silence and storming off. He used his hearing to locate Mara and Richard and joined them, before sending a servant to Lana with directions to the room in which the three of them would be waiting. When she joined them nearly an hour later, Kal-El and Lana finally got to hear the story of how Richard and Mara had reached the winter palace ahead of schedule, while they all waited for dinner.

It turned out that Richard had gotten antsy and had ordered the small fleet that was scheduled to escort the Alemannian princess and her ladies home to set sail a couple of weeks early. The journey had been rough, as they'd caught the fringe of one last winter storm, but no ships had been lost. The entire party had reached the winter palace a few days ago, with the kings of Alemannia and Anglia meeting for the first time. Jor-El had publicly thanked Richard for tending to his daughter and her ladies for most of an entire year, which was useful, as later that night, Mara and Richard spilled the beans, admitting everything to Jor-El and Lara in a private meeting. The young lovers had been anxious, desperately hoping Jor-El's initial reaction wouldn't be like Kal-El's had been.

They needn't have worried.

Jor-El had paused for a few heartbeats, barely long enough to look over to Lara for confirmation that she had heard the same news he had, before turning back to Mara and Richard and grinning like a loon. That was when Mara first learned her parents had been hoping all along that she'd land the bachelor king. That had caused an all-night negotiating session between Jor-El and Richard, followed by a joint royal proclamation the next day about the betrothal of King Richard and Princess Mara and a formal alliance between the two kingdoms. That announcement had caused an impromptu day of feasting and celebration which had only ended the night before.

Lana then got to really speak with Richard for the first time, while the two siblings caught up. Lana had heard a lot about Richard when Mara had visited during the winter, and Richard had heard much about Lana after Mara's return to Anglia. They were each happy to start putting a face and a personality to the name, and neither was disappointed in what they found.

Lana found Richard to be a handsome, considerate, utterly charming man who was completely unaffected by his crown. For his part, Richard found Lana to be as beautiful as reputed, and completely dismissive of her hard-won fame. As far as she was concerned, she was at heart a country girl named Lana who'd fallen for a city boy named Kal. Everything else was just window dressing.


	101. Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Torture

Lana had been expecting to have to explain what had happened to her over and over during dinner that evening. Jor-El saved her from that, however, by announcing with a magically amplified voice that there had been an assassination attempt, that Lana had been its target instead of Kal-El, that she had indeed been stabbed twice, and that the blade was made of Kryptonite.

That last comment caught the attention of every Kryptonian in the room and caused a collective gasp to roll up the length of the State Dining Room like a wave rolling up the beach. Jor-El then had Lana stand to show that she was perfectly healthy, and ended by ordering the crowd to not bother his future daughter-in-law with any questions about what had happened.

Lana could have kissed Jor-El at that moment, but settled for flashing him her most brilliant smile when he sat down and snuck a peek at her. And then the most amazing thing happened: Jor-El, King of Alemannia, took in her smile and _winked at her._ She thought she was going to faint.

When everyone finally settled in to eat, Lana nudged Kal-El, who had been sitting by her side at every meal since the day of their betrothal, and asked quietly, "What was that all about?"

Kal-El looked over at his father, who had a very satisfied grin on his face, and then leaned forward to look past the king and queen, to where Mara and Richard were sitting. Mara looked back at her brother and smiled before tapping the ear that was out of sight of the rest of the diners and whispering, "Looks like Lana is Father's second daughter."

Mara's opinion matched nicely with Kal-El's own, so he said, "You're family now, wedding or not. Father is doing his best to shield you, when he can do so without getting in your own father's way."

That made Lana look past Kal-El and at Jor-El again. This time, she was seeing him as her future father-in-law and not as the king. It made a definite difference. She now knew for sure she had won over one of Kal-El's parents; the other parent she wasn't as positive about.

After that, Lana's evening was fine, and while her sleep was late in coming, and then disturbed by a confused nightmare that had her shouting and then waking in a cold sweat, she was still able to get up in time for a quiet breakfast with Kal-El…with a couple of her ladies-in-waiting close at hand.

That had been another surprise, as she'd been met in her own sitting room by all of her ladies. It seemed they were determined to resume their duties on her first full day back in the palace. It was a surprise she could have done without for just a _little _bit longer.

During that breakfast, Lana asked if any progress was being made with questioning the assassin. Kal-El told her that nothing had changed from the night before; the man was telling them the same story over and over…a story no one believed.

"Are they…" Lana was having trouble even mentioning the word, but she knew it was a distinct possibility, so she pushed it out. "Are they _torturing_ the man?"

Kal-El carefully wiped his mouth and set aside both his napkin and his eating utensils and watched as Lana did the same before he answered. "He's been getting tortured since before dinner last night. Please don't ask me for any details, Lana. A lady shouldn't have to hear any of that." Kal-El grunted. "Neither should most men."

"Why use torture so quickly?"

"One reason is this was a direct attack on the royal family, or so Father has stated, and that means we need to learn everything we can about the attacker and the people supporting him before there is another attack." Kal-El leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest before eyeing Lana speculatively. "Did you know at least part of the reason Father revealed you'd been attacked with a Kryptonian blade was to make sure our fellow Kryptonians knew the danger was real…even for them?

"Now, all across the city, noble families are having meetings about what precautions to take to make sure they aren't next. Soon, it will occur to them that Kryptonite is damned expensive. And then you have to find a master weaponsmith to craft it into a blade." When Lana gave Kal-El a blank look, he added, "Master weaponsmiths are only employed by the military and by the nobility…in this kingdom anyway."

"Those two facts will bring the heads of houses and their security chiefs back to the palace - if they're not already here - to find out what we've learned and who the guilty party might be. And that's the second reason to use torture so quickly: we need to have some kind of answer ready when those people come back here asking tough questions." Kal-El took a big drink of his chilled fruit juice and drank it down. "The strange thing about all of this is that last night, Grandma just about tried to _order_ me to make your attacker suffer before he gets executed. I told her I wouldn't do that, but here I am calmly explaining our need to do the same exact thing to him now, with the one difference being our pressing need for information."

Lana reached across and clasped one of Kal-El's hands, rubbing the backs of his knuckles with the pad of her thumb. "I want to see him."

"_What?" _Kal-El asked in frantic surprise. Then his eyes grew large and dangerous-looking as he stood, planted his fists on the table, and leaned toward Lana. "No! I don't want you near that man."

Lana felt like rolling her eyes at Kal-El's attempt at commanding_ her,_ but instead, she turned her focus to getting her way. "He's well-guarded, right?"

"Of course," Kal-El replied.

"And he's not Kryptonian, right?"

"No, he's not that…the fact that he used a Kryptonite blade proves that."

"So…even if he did get loose, I could break him in half with my pinky, right?"

Kal-El sighed, already knowing he was going to lose this argument, but determined to play it out anyway. "Yeah, you could totally destroy him." He paused for a moment and then went on with what he wanted to say before Lana could stop him. "It's not fear for your physical safety that has me worried about you meeting this man; instead, it's the thought that seeing this monster might give you more nightmares like the one you had last night."

"How do you know about _that?"_ a completely flabbergasted Lana asked.

"I heard you screaming," Kal-El said quietly, as he sat back in his seat. "It was like you were being stabbed all over again, and it hurt me just as much the second time around."

Lana's heart reached out to Kal-El, but she sensed he didn't want any comfort at the moment. "But…how did you hear me while you were sleeping?"

"I couldn't stay with you, obviously," Kal-El said softly, "so I watched over you the only way I could."

Lana peered closely at his face then, searching for telltale signs of exhaustion. "You didn't get any sleep last night, did you?"

Kal-El's only answer was to shake his head no. "I was too angry, too nervous, too _scared _for sleep, so I stayed up and listened to you: the beating of your heart, the small breaths of sleep, and just when I thought everything was going to be all right, you started screaming.

"I don't mind admitting I nearly swallowed my tongue, and was halfway out of the royal living quarters before I came to my senses and realized the guards would never let me in the women's wing." Kal-El looked pensively at Lana. "But, you're gonna insist on seeing this bast…" he took a deep breath, "…this would-be murderer, aren't you?"

"Yes," Lana admitted, "but not to be contrary, or to show how tough I think I am; instead, it's to face my attacker. My nightmare _was_ about being stabbed. Maybe seeing him and finding out why he did it will help me put this incident behind me so I can get on with my life."

So it was that, just after lunch, Kal-El and a cloud of knights from the Royal Household Guard escorted Lana through the city and to the hilltop castle which guarded the western approaches to the city. Once Kal-El and Lana had stepped out of their carriage, he required instant admittance to the prisoner's presence. That order got them a personal escort from the castle's commander, who led them down into the castle's dungeon and to the would-be murderer's cell, before he was released by Kal-El to go about his regular duties.

Half a dozen of the members of the Royal Household Guard followed them down and took up stations inside the room before Kal-El allowed Lana to enter. While the guards had been getting into position, he had been busy also, x-raying everything in the room, including the murderer and the interrogators, to be sure there were no little green surprises for them.

Lana blanched, and very nearly vomited, when she first laid eyes on the lone man in the center of the room. He was bound to a thick wooden post, with his hands tied behind him on the other side of the post, and his hands wearing heavy iron shackles. That was enough to assure Lana that he was securely bound, but what had her on the verge of sickness was his physical condition. The man was heavily bruised and bloodied, and with his head hanging down onto his chest, he looked to be unconscious as well.

"Wake him up," Kal-El said roughly. "Lady Lana is here to see him for herself."

While a guard went to fetch a pail of fresh, cold water, Kal-El ask the chief interrogator what had happened since the dawn brief.

"Nothing new, your Highness," the chief interrogator replied. "When he's been conscious, he's told the same story time and time again, with _remarkably_ little variation in details." The interrogator looked over at the lone prisoner, and Kal-El caught something in the man's facial expression that he wanted to explore a bit.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you know how rare it is for a liar to be able to stick to his story that closely, time after time, or how _incredibly_ hard it is to do that under the extreme duress of torture?" The interrogator didn't wait for an answer, as he knew the young prince had no experience with such matters as of yet, so he asked, "Permission to speak my mind, your Highness?"

"Granted."

"We're wasting our time here. Either the prisoner is a rather simple man with a simple goal in mind, or else he's the most exquisitely trained, insanely loyal secret agent of a foreign power I have ever seen. Further torture of this prisoner will gain the king nothing."

Lana had listened to all of this with rapt attention, and was about to ask what the prisoner's story was, when the guard returned with a large wooden bucket filled with water and unceremoniously threw its contents in the prisoner's face.

It took a few seconds, but the cold water had the intended effect, bringing the unconscious prisoner to life. He needed a moment for his head to clear and his eyes to focus, and when they did, the first thing he recognized was the prince himself, followed quickly by the girl at the prince's side.

"Nooooo…" he moaned in a croaky voice. "She lives after all! The she-bitch lives! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Do you actually _know_ this guy, Lana?" a bewildered Kal-El asked.

She shrugged her shoulders and moved in a little bit closer, still careful to stay out of arm's reach of the still raging prisoner. "As far as I know, Kal, I've never seen him before in my life." She then turned her full attention to the man who'd tried to kill her just eighteen hours earlier. There were many questions piling up behind her eyes, but at the moment, only one question mattered. "Why?"


	102. Chapter 102

Chapter 102

Confession

"Why? Why should I tell _you?"_ The prisoner spat in Lana's face, which caused every guard in the room to flinch toward him, and had Kal-El wishing mightily that he didn't need to know whatever this man might choose to tell them. Once Kal-El quit curling his fists into tight balls, he fished into a pocket of his uniform and came up with a linen handkerchief for her to use to wipe her face clean.

While she was cleaning herself off, Kal-El stepped in front of the prisoner and rasped, "Try anything like that again, and I _promise_ you I'll fulfill my grandma's wishes for you. _You, _of all the people on this planet, do _not_ get to disrespect Lady Lana."

The prisoner thought his way through the prince's family tree and quickly realized which grandma he had to mean. "You mean the Countess Irilta von Schalkenberg? That grandma?"

"Yeah, _that_ Grandma. She wants your last few hours on this Earth to be ones of unremitting pain." Kal-El leaned in so close that their noses were almost touching, and whispered, "And I'm getting closer to allowing her to have her way." Kal-El moved back and checked on Lana and decided to stand much closer to her than before.

"Yeah well, the Iron Bitch can rest peacefully then," the prisoner said, before a sudden coughing fit wracked his wounded body with pain, "as your interrogators' techniques have pretty much assured me of that pain already, making your threat _toothless."_

"Just think about this for awhile then," Kal-El said mildly. "Imagine me using my heat vision to utterly destroy the skin on the soles of your feet. _Then_ imagine being forced to stand on those ruined feet all day long." Kal-El just smirked at the prisoner, who gulped and wondered for the first time if he'd made a mistake by being flippant with the young prince.

When Lana finished wiping the disgusting mess off of her face, Kal-El dropped the nasty cloth into the waste bucket at the chief interrogator's nearby desk. And together, they faced her would-be killer.

The prisoner carefully eyed the young couple as he weighed his hate for the future queen against his suddenly growing wish to die quickly, with as little additional pain as possible. The ideas of what a man with the prince's powers could do to his already damaged body didn't bear thinking about. He now just wanted it to be over with.

"The El family _is_ good for one thing: keeping their word," the prisoner said, at long last. "Swear to me, before God and Man, that you'll kill me quickly and with as little pain as possible, and I'll tell you what you wish to know."

"I, Kal-El, Crown Prince of Alemannia and Duke of Borussia, do swear, before God and Man, that I will make sure the man who tried to kill my betrothed dies quickly and as painlessly as possible. Good enough?"

The prisoner stared Kal-El in the eyes for a long moment and then nodded his head. "It will do." The prisoner asked for some clean water to drink, as his throat was parched, and his lips were papery and about to crack. Once he'd drank his fill, the prisoner said, "My name is Georges Trevillian, and before the late rebellion, I was a senior member of Duke Dru-Zod's personal staff."

Hearing Zod's name spoken out loud, and in such a passionately proud way, jolted both Kal-El and Lana, which gave Trevillian cause to smile. It was nice for him to realize his former master was still inspiring fear in his most hated enemies.

"When vague rumors first began trickling back to us about a disaster in the field, we denied that our lord, the greatest living hero in the entire kingdom, could have possibly lost, much less in catastrophic way. But the rumors persisted, and day by day they grew stronger, until we couldn't ignore them any longer. We sent out scouts to gather as many details as possible, as well as sending an official messenger to Duke Dru-Zod's army to enquire as to the army's status.

Trevillian took another long sip of water and continued, "Word wasn't long in coming, and that word spoke of a disaster of the first order. The few sketchy details we knew suggested that an army led by the crown prince and Duke Dax-Ur had crushed our lord in open battle. Other details tended to conflict with each other, except for one thing: all agreed that our lord was either dead or captured.

"Everyone was panicking inside, but we held it together as a staff, until the official messenger returned, much earlier than he should have been able to, and told us that not only had our lord's army been utterly crushed, but that our lord himself had been taken by the enemy.

"Pandemonium reigned then. Everyone wanted to leave and leave instantly, for fear that forces loyal to the king would show up soon and start arresting us. Some people stole money from the ducal treasury, while others stole rich clothing, or mementos of the duke's famous victories as a keepsake. I, however, took something with grim purpose. I stole a Kryptonite dagger and it's lead-lined sheath before taking my life savings and riding hard for the capital.

"As I left, my intention was to kill the crown prince, as the initial rumors indicated he had been the one to ruin my lord. But then, the closer I drew to the capital, the more I started hearing the wildest rumors about a new commander, a mere _woman,_ who'd led the royal reinforcements on a crushing flank attack that had unraveled our line of defense. That was _clearly_ the _rankest _insanity, and yet…the closer to the capital I got, the stronger and more detailed the rumor became. By the time my tired horse and I reached Königsberg, the woman had earned a name and a rank, and the story was clear.

"_She_ was why my lord and master had lost the war and his life. _Her_ last minute rally of her defeated troops had turned the tide of battle. _She _was the one who must die. The rest was just a matter of getting a palace job and waiting for my chance once I learned the infamous Lady Lana was coming here to spend the winter."

While Trevillian took another sip of water, Kal-El asked, "So…this was just a revenge plot? No one else was involved, foreign or domestic?"

Trevillian smiled. "You got it in one." He looked over at the interrogators. "Now convince those 'gentlemen' of that and we can get on with my execution. If we're all lucky, I may last until tomorrow so you'll have enough time to erect a proper scaffold."

"Don't worry about that. Every carpenter in town will be eagerly _volunteering_ his services once word gets out that the scaffold is for your execution." Kal-El eyed Trevillian and then asked, "What I want to know is why you used a Kryptonite blade once you knew you were after Lady Lana instead of me. The number of people who knew of her recent conversion to becoming a Kryptonian was very small."

Trevillian wasn't stupid; he knew exactly what the prince was getting at. "No, no one told me. Your security is good as far as that information goes. I just used the Kryptonite dagger to keep any of you Kryptonians from interfering as I made my attack." He looked directly at Lana for the first time since he'd spat on her, and ruefully shook his head. "A Kryptonian. What a f*cking honor. No wonder you're up and walking around like nothing happened."

Kal-El turned to the chief interrogator. "Get him off that post and back into a proper cell. Feed and water him decently, and no abuse from the guards, accidental or otherwise, or else you'll answer to me. He's going to die tomorrow anyway. There's no further point in harming him."

As Lana and Kal-El returned to the surface, and climbed into their carriage for the ride home, she broke her long silence to ask, "Would you really have burned his feet and made him stand on them?"

"No," Kal-El replied chidingly, "you know me better than _that, _but the key is, he didn't know that. You see, if he knows enough about my family to know which grandma of mine was likely to be a bit rough, then he probably also knew my family has a less than savory reputation when it comes to doing whatever it takes to get what we need.

"It's a disgusting reputation, but after today, I have to admit it can be a useful one too."

That put a damper on their conversation, until the carriage and its ample number of Royal Household Guards passed through the square where the execution would take place the next day at noon.

"Are you going to attend the execution tomorrow, Lana? I can see where you might want to, but no one will think any less of you if you don't."

"I'll be here," Lana assured Kal-El as she squeezed his arm. "With you to lean on, I'll be able to handle it. And I confess, right now, I _want_ to see him die."


	103. Chapter 103

Chapter 103

Time Marches On

Lana woke from a deep sleep to find her chief chambermaid hovering within easy arm's reach, ready to personally see to any need her mistress might have, while the rest of her maids scurried about her bedroom, throwing open the heavy nighttime curtains and pulling out a selection of dresses and undergarments for her to choose from. In general, they were preparing to ready her to be seen in public on this, the last full day of her maidenhood…for tomorrow, she was to be married at long last.

The mere _thought_ of tomorrow brought on a slew of feelings and emotions for Lana, ranging from relief that the long months of meticulous preparations would be over, to sheer exhilaration that she would finally be married to her beloved Kal. She looked at her bed and wondered what it would be like to wake up next to him in two days' time. She'd never admit it, not publicly anyway, but she'd been having an increasing number of dreams recently that starred her and Kal doing things she'd only heard stories about…things she was dying to finally try herself.

As Lana swung out of bed, and allowed her maids to set to work on her, she had plenty of time to think. She usually used this time to mentally go over her day, especially if one of her social secretaries felt it necessary to attend upon her to remind her of a particularly tightly scheduled order of events. But today's events had been planned out weeks ago by Queen Lara's wedding staff ; no reminders were necessary today. So, Lana was free to think of other things. And now that the big day was almost upon her, all Lana could think of was how fast everything had happened.

Since the day she had almost been assassinated, she had picked up more and more social obligations, most of which were related to the wedding in some way or another. That caused her to turn over her former duties of assisting the queen to her eminently competent chief of staff, who ran Lana's staff with ruthless efficiency. The good thing about the additional social obligations was that almost all of them required her prince to be there with her.

Together, they greeted newly arriving official delegations from all over this quarter of the world. Most rulers didn't come themselves, as they couldn't afford the time away, but they sent princes, princesses, grand dukes, prince-bishops, emirs, sultans, and others. Just yesterday, in fact, they had spent the afternoon under a canopy of the most glorious white silk tents, as they greeted the late arrival of Princess Suma al-Kubeisy and her horde of guards and servants from a distant desert sultanate.

Lana and Kal-El had needed an interpreter to speak with the princess - who had been nearly completely covered with brightly-colored fabrics - and had learned she and her party had been delayed for weeks trying to find a large enough naval escort, as the waters near their sultanate's only major port had been suffering from a surge in piracy.

Princess Suma had been embarrassed by almost missing the wedding, but Lana and Kal-El assured her they were honored and amazed she had made the long journey in the first place, and doubly amazed that she had risked pirates to do so. Pleased that the prince and his lady appreciated her position, Princess Suma had visibly relaxed, and the rest of their time together had gone well.

Just as Lana's maids were finishing with her, Alicia popped into the room, hoping to walk with her down to breakfast. When the blonde girl started bouncing on her toes with barely restrained enthusiasm, Lana rolled her eyes and asked, "Who is it _this_ morning, Alicia?"

"Lord Ashford," Alicia replied, her voice bubbly as ever. "He's even coming for breakfast."

"Maybe he'll ride over with Kal then," Lana said.

"Oh? He's going to be able to get away from the El family breakfast today? I thought those were inviolable."

Lana chuckled. "Kal said he told his parents he was going to spend the whole day with me, including breakfast. So yes, he should be here this morning."

Technically, the El family breakfasts weren't inviolable, as he'd had several breakfasts with her while she was still living in the winter palace, but since her father had purchased this mansion halfway across the city, Kal-El hadn't been able to getaway to see her until after the morning meal.

As Lana left her suite of rooms, she looked in both directions, drinking in her elegant surroundings, still not quite able to believe this place actually belonged to _her_ father. Being the father of the bride, Lewis was expected to throw a number of parties leading up to the wedding, but he hadn't even owned a place in the city, much less one of sufficient quality to host those types of social gatherings. And as his increased income from his new position as a count wouldn't start rolling in until after the fall harvest, he had to find the money somewhere, so he quietly borrowed a significant sum from Kal-El to purchase a stately mansion which was being sold by a family that had lost their noble title and income as a consequence of supporting General Dru-Zod.

Lana was under no illusions that this mansion in any way compared to the winter palace, but it was very nice and she thoroughly enjoyed that it belonged to her father. The fact that she and Alicia had moved in with him was a little less enjoyable, as it had necessitated daily trips to and from the palace, where she still spent most of her days neck deep in wedding preparations. Thankfully, those preparations were over now, and Lana could _try_ to relax somewhat, even if she was one of the main players in the so-called 'wedding of the century.'

Alicia and Lana descended the steps to the marble-floored foyer, only to find Kal-El and Lord Ashford waiting for them. Lord Ashford was one of King Richard's companions and a Duke in his own right back in Anglia. It hadn't taken long for a young woman of Alicia's beauty, brains, and connections to gain the interest of a few of the foreign visitors, to go along with the increasingly intense competition for her attention from local lords.

During the five months that had passed since her return to the capital with Kal-El and Lana, Alicia had been _sure_ she was in love no fewer than three times, with three different men. Lana was sure Alicia hadn't been in love any of those three times, which made her wonder if her little sister had ever been truly in love with Prince Harold, who was still here and still trying to win her back. Lord Ashford seemed to be Alicia's _current_ favorite, but _that _title was known to change on a weekly basis. She seemed to be enjoying herself, and as long as she hadn't made any promises to any of the men, Lana didn't see a problem with it. After all, there was roughly a year and a half left in their father's ban on proposals, so there was no point in getting serious just yet.

Once breakfast was over, Lana rode to the winter palace with Kal-El in the carriage he'd used to visit her. "Where was your father this morning?" Kal-El asked as soon as the carriage got underway.

"He left a note with the staff. It seems _he_ was having breakfast with Lady Baden at her home."

Kal-El gave Lana a slightly surprised look. "He seems to be getting close to her. This is the third or fourth time I've heard of them together."

"Oh, it's been a lot more than three or four," Lana said with a wide grin. "I don't think he's seen another woman for an entire month."

Kal-El digested this bit of information before asking, "What do you think about Lady Baden being the next Countess of Albemarle? A stepmother for you, Alicia, and Lois after all this time?"

"Lady Baden may become my stepmother in name, but she won't have to raise us. And even though Alicia might be able to use some womanly advice about men, most of Lady Baden's efforts can go toward Father. That's the only thing that really matters to me with regards to her right now. If she makes him happy, I can definitely be pleased with her."

Kal nodded in agreement, and then said, "At least the only family member I have to worry about getting married is Mara. You and I both know she's been as lucky as we have."

"Well…I still think I've been luckier than her," Lana grinned, "but I agree Richard is the right man for her." Then she looked over at Kal-El, who had a goofy smile plastered all over his face. "What's on your mind?"

"I know how tough it was for you and me to keep our hands to ourselves in the year and a half that we've known each other…"

"Just one more day to go," Lana interjected happily.

"Yes." They leaned in toward each other for a brief but heated kiss, vaguely scandalizing the handmaid who was riding in the carriage with them, before Kal-El finished by saying, "It's been tough for us, but Richard and Mara have waited almost as long as we have, and they have another six months to go before their wedding next spring."

"Oh my God! You're right." Lana smirked. "Good thing we got in line to get married first."

As the carriage neared the gate to the palace grounds, Kal-El asked, "Where were Lois and Bruce this morning? I was hoping to see them at breakfast."

"The servants told me they dressed early and took their own carriage over to the palace," Lana replied. "Supposedly, Lois has an early morning appointment with the royal seamstresses so they can make the final alterations to her dress for the wedding," Lana giggled, "but _I_ just think Bruce was intent on showing off his wife to as many people as he could manage to see in one day."

Kal-El chuckled. "Which is funny, because everyone's going to see her tomorrow. I mean, it's gonna be hard for anyone to miss the matron of honor. Especially now."

Lana leaned back against the headrest and thought back a week to the day when Lois and Bruce made their reappearance in Königsberg. The carriage had come to a stop right at the base of the steps leading to the mansion's massive oak double doors. The guards who had opened the iron gate to allow the carriage inside the property had sent word to the mansion, so that by the time Bruce stepped down from the carriage, Lewis, Lana, and Alicia had been lined up on the top step to greet them.

Bruce had only smiled up at his in-laws, as the servants scurried to place a set of steps in place for Lois to climb down out of the carriage. He then turned back to the carriage and held out his hand. Out from the carriage came a long, slender arm to take Bruce's hand, followed by an elegantly coiffed head, and a foot which searched out the top of the portable steps. The rest of Lois came into view then, with her rather lengthy body seemingly unfolding as it came into view.

But as Lois straightened up and walked down the rest of the steps, it quickly became apparent that _something_ was different; when she reached the hard surface of the drive and turned to place a kiss on her husband's cheek, a plump mound on her belly came into view.

The same thought hit all three Langs at once: _Oh my God, Lois is pregnant! _

Shocked, Alicia rapidly shifted her gaze from Lois' prominent belly, up to Bruce's huge grin, over to Lana's wide-open eyes and gaping mouth, and then past her to see Lewis' valiant attempt at hiding a smile that threatened to match Bruce's, before returning to Lois to see her 'holding' her belly and smiling up at her family as Bruce's arm settled around her shoulders.

Once the three Langs recovered their mental balance, they had charged down the steps, with Lana and Alicia nearly bowling over Lois in their eagerness to get to her, while Lewis contented himself with shaking Bruce's hand and quietly congratulating him.

Back in the present, Lana raised her head off of the headrest, looked at Kal-El, and said, "I still can't believe Lois is six months pregnant."

"Me neither. It seems my best man didn't waste any time doing his duty with your matron of honor."

That caused Lana to giggle and Kal-El to grin faintly.

"Do you think I'll look like that when I'm six months along?"

Kal-El shook his head decisively. "No. You'll be much, much more beautiful. Lois is a candle, my dear, while you are the sun."

Lana and Kal-El had plans to spend the day together, and her ladies-in-waiting were at the winter palace's entrance to meet her. Lana sent off all but two of her ladies, ordering that the next two could take their turns after lunch. Kal-El knew she'd have sent them all away if she could get away with it.

Also waiting for them was a grim-faced set of royal household guards who would follow both Kal-El and Lana all day long, and in truth, be more of a nuisance than Lana's ladies ever were. Kal-El sighed as he watched the mounted guards trot away after having turned over their charges to the next set of guards. "At least the mounted men can manage to keep a decent distance and give us the illusion of privacy."

"Yeah. How are your parents dealing with the increased security provisions?"

"Not well. Mother has even been making Father brush up on his magic spells just in case, and in turn, he's been complaining about the time spent away from the affairs of state."

What Kal-El said brought to mind something that had been bugging Lana since before she became a Kryptonian. "How come you and your father don't use magic very often, but your mother does? I mean, she's shown me a few powerful spells and I still remember the lightning bolt she cast during the procedure that brought me my abilities."

"Kryptonian men are trained to be warriors from a very young age. Using our solar energy for spells reduces the energy available for our physical skills, which can be a danger on the battlefield." As Kal-El and Lana made their way into the palace, he asked, "When does Mother intend to start your magical education?"

Lana looked straight ahead, purposely not looking anywhere near Kal-El. "I told her I would be available sometime after our wedding."

"_Sometime?"_ Kal-El was vaguely annoyed by the possibility of a newly-married Lana spending more time with his mother than she was with him.

"Like maybe a month or more after. And even then, I'm not going to come up here for more than a couple of hours in the afternoons."

"I bet that news made Mother happy." Kal-El chuckled. "I'm surprised she hasn't tried to lean on me to get you to increase that time."

"Well…she might have, except I was _very_ careful to point out that not only did I need to learn how to use magic, but I also had to learn the ins and outs of being both your wife and your duchess."

Kal-El stopped in the midst of the wide hallway and pulled Lana in for a sweet kiss and a hug. "That was clever. Mother can't say anything to that."

"Anything to get more time for us." Lana stood on her toes and hotly kissed Kal-El, raking her teeth across his lower lip before dragging it into her mouth. When her mouth finally released his, she lightly rubbed the tip of her nose against his. "After all, we will have a _lot_ of things to learn together."

Kal-El felt a familiar twitch and gave Lana a lustful stare, complete with glowing red eyes. "Evil, _evil_ woman. I dare you try that tomorrow night."

"That was just a sample," Lana said with smirk, as she released the hold she had on his jacket. "Tomorrow night you'll get the real thing."

Kal-El grinned suddenly, looking every inch the predator, which left Lana wondering how wise it was to tease him, and anxious to find out.

Lana and Kal-El spent the rest of the day together, enjoying their first free day in months with a long stroll through the brilliant early fall displays in the palace gardens, an easy ride through the rolling parkland out beyond the gardens, followed by a couple of hard-fought games of chess. Lana still hadn't managed to defeat Kal-El, but she came close in the second game, finally having to settle for a draw. Lana was fuming over a couple of blown chances, until Kal-El pointed out he couldn't remember the last time he'd even been tied. That changed things a bit in Lana's eyes; suddenly, the draw looked like an accomplishment instead of a screw-up.

After dinner, they spent the evening with their families and friends, killing off the last few hours before they attempted to sleep with card games and conversations. Lana, Alicia, and Lara all huddled around Lois, with questions coming from the younger women, while the queen offered advice. Lana was surprised Lara was being so friendly to two people she didn't know, but she figured pregnancies brought out the best in most women.

The guys played poker for piddling stakes and chatted while mulling over their cards. Bruce was slightly ill at ease sitting across from the king himself and playing with him like he was just another guy, until Kal-El leaned over and whispered, "Right now, he's just my father. Think of him that way for the rest of the night."

Jor-El had heard every word his son spoke, but only smiled at his cards, as what his son said was what he himself wanted, which was a night of relaxation before the long day tomorrow.

Soon enough, the small party wound down, and Kal-El escorted Lana to her family's carriage for her ride home. Each knew the next time they saw each other would be at the cathedral itself, mere minutes away from marriage. They stood together, a few feet away from the carriage, as Alicia and Lewis climbed inside. Bruce and Lois were getting into their own carriage, and a significant number of knights was forming up to escort them. But no one was going anywhere until the soon-to-be royal couple had their last moments together.

"Even with you here by my side," Kal-El said, as her raised Lana's hands to his mouth for a light kiss on each one, "this was the _longest_ day."

"I know _exactly_ what you mean," Lana replied. "Without any wedding plans to go over to occupy my mind, all I've been thinking about is the wedding and you."

"One more day. By this time tomorrow, we'll be married and at our new home." Kal-El turned Lana and then pulled her to him, with her back against his chest. "You'll be Lana-El, and I'll be the happiest man in the world."

As Lana's arms folded themselves across her chest, Kal-El's arms moved to cover hers even as he leaned down to place a string of kisses on the side of her neck. Her eyes fluttered closed as she savored the moment.

"I will be Lana-El, your loving wife, and you will be my loving husband, Kal." Lana shook her head ever so slightly, as she asked, "How did he second daughter of a very minor noble ever get so lucky?"

"I'm the lucky one," Kal-El countered. "I was expecting to have to marry just to meet the needs of the kingdom. Love was never a consideration, until I met the world's grubbiest stable girl. And now, everything's changed."

"My knight in shining armor…or was that just a filthy, road-weary squire? I was so mortified, and then at dinner, so impressed." Lana turned within the circle of Kal-El's arms, and looked up into his sea-green eyes. "I love you, Kal. I love you so _much!"_

"And I love you, Lana. I may never be able to accurately express just how much I love you, but I'll spend the rest of my life in the attempt."

Their mouths came crashing together then for one long, heated kiss. Moist lips brushing, sliding, pressing…tongues writhing and exploring…hands caressing soft skin on necks and cheeks. The kiss was only broken when Lewis made an overly loud series of hacking coughs from the depths of the carriage. Kal-El and Lana pulled back, laughed softly at Lewis' impatience, and then reluctantly separated.

After handing Lana up into the carriage, Kal-El closed the door and said, "See you tomorrow, Lady Lana Lang."

"Better get that out of your system now, my prince," Lana laughed, "for it changes tomorrow. I'll see you then."

With that, Lewis signaled his driver to start. As the two carriages pulled away, Kal-El stayed rooted in place and looked at Lana until long after her carriage moved out of sight.


	104. Chapter 104

Chapter 104

The Princess Bride

Lana tossed and turned, desperately hoping to snatch a few hours of sleep before she had to rise for the start of a very long day. But her mind was racing, thinking over the intricate plans for the wedding, from an early morning breakfast with her bridesmaids, through the wedding, and on and on, right until the moment Kal was to take over and lead them to their new home.

The only thing Lana was worried about was the weather, which Kal had told her was notoriously changeable in the capital city, especially during the fall. She didn't know how late it was at the moment, except that she felt sure it was closer to morning than to bedtime, when she heard a short, sharp _click _on her bedroom window. Lana had no idea what the noise was, as there wasn't a storm outside, but as she disregarded the click and began to drift off again, there came another _click._ She half-rolled in her bed, and stared at the window now, waiting to see if there would be yet another click. _Once is an accident, _Lana thought, _and twice is a coincidence, but a third time…_

_Click._

_That's it. Someone's making that happen. What an inconsiderate ass! _She wondered if she should ring her bell and have one of her chambermaids refer this matter to the nighttime commander of her father's household guards, but then she decided a judicious use of her powers might end the matter more quickly and let her get back to chasing sleep.

Lana sat, pushed her coverings off, and clambered out of bed before using her x-ray vision to look through a wall of her spacious bedroom and into the garden beyond. What she _expected_ to see was someone near her own age who'd gotten drunk a day ahead of the big wedding celebrations and had somehow snuck into her family's private gardens. What she saw was another matter entirely.

Instead of finding a skinny teen standing in the garden, she saw a muscular young man - dressed all in black - floating in mid-air over the far end of the garden, while bouncing a pebble in the palm of his hand as if weighing whether or not he needed to throw another. She didn't even need to throw open the many-paned double door of glass and wood that led to her third-floor balcony to grab the man's attention; all she had to do was whisper. "Kal! What on Earth are you doing out there?"

Kal-El knew he could look through the wall into Lana's bedroom to see her as they spoke, but he wouldn't. He had no idea how she was dressed, and in any case, he'd never invade a lady's privacy like that. Hearing her voice would have to do for the moment.

"I was restless," Kal-El admitted, "and…I _needed_ to see you one more time before the sun rises, and everything spins out of our control."

Lana smiled widely upon hearing Kal's confession. "See me?"

"Yes, _see _you."

"Give me a few moments." As Lana made her way across the room to where a thick, ankle-length blue robe was laid out next to her bed, across the back of a comfy armchair, she smiled again, pleased to know her beloved Kal was just as worked up about the wedding as she was. Once she had wrapped the robe around her pale blue nightgown and belted it closed, she padded back across the room and slipped out onto her balcony. Lana grinned, as she said, "You know, Kal, a lady doesn't let just _any_ man see her like this."

"I know. I'm fully aware of the honor you do me," Kal-El replied, as he drank in the sight of her robe-shrouded form.

Lana leaned forward just a bit and rested her forearms on the balcony's marble balustrade. "You know Father will be irate if you're caught here."

"Well then, keep whispering, and he'll never hear us."

"What about the household guards?"

Kal-El gave a conspiratorial glance to the left and the right before looking back at Lana. "Rumor has it the guards will be watching just the front of this mansion for the next few minutes."

Lana took that as her key to quit asking questions and proceed to say what was on her mind. "So, why did you need to see me, Kal? Forget what I look like already?"

"I just wanted to let you know how much I love you one last time, man to woman, before mother's carefully scripted wedding plan takes over tomorrow." Kal-El dropped his remaining pebbles, and rubbed the dirt from his hands as he smiled helplessly at her.

She stared back at him, eagerly awaiting what he had to say. As far as she was concerned, the words 'I love you' would never get old, not as long as they were coming from him. But whatever Kal-El had planned to say left his mind when he took in her earnest smile and the adorably fluffy robe that hid Lana from view. He just hovered in mid-air, drinking in the sight of the woman with whom he would spend the rest of his life.

"_Ninety_ years," he said in a 'how could I be so lucky?' tone of voice; he had spoken softly though, as he hadn't meant to voice that particular thought. But since Lana was using her super-hearing to listen to him from across the garden, she heard him as plainly as if she had been standing by his side. It took her a moment to realize what that comment alluded to, but once she did, her eager smile grew, becoming something that made Kal-El hot under the collar.

"Ninety years," she said a bit more loudly, her tone agreeing completely with his. "Pretty amazing, isn't it? I'm eighteen, you're twenty, and we have another ninety years to be together."

Kal-El nodded slowly. "Yeah, and if the next ninety years are anything like the first year and a half…"

Lana finished his thought, "…we'll be the luckiest couple ever."

Kal-El was in the process of adding to that, when he heard the guards coming back and hurried to excuse himself before he got caught. "I love you." He blew her a kiss, which she 'caught' with both hands before cradling it against her chest. "I need to go."

Lana could hear her father's men coming, too. "I know." She quickly blew Kal-El a kiss of her own. "I love you, too."

Kal-El caught her kiss, held it to his heart, gave her a deep, courtly bow, and disappeared in an instant, as if he'd never been there. Lana slipped back into the mansion just as the guards came into view around the corner of the building. It wouldn't do for them to see her, both because it would make her father wonder what she was doing on her balcony at that time of the morning, and because she didn't want to cause trouble for the officer who had made this brief meeting possible.

After their brief but exciting meeting, sleep wasn't soon in coming for either Lana or Kal-El. Compounding that lack of sleep was the fact that both of them were woken up early by ruthless servants who knew the prince and his lady had tightly calculated schedules to keep.

Lana dressed quickly and went downstairs, where she was hosting a breakfast for all of the women who were standing up with her today at the wedding. It was the last chance any of them would get to relax before the wedding was over. The breakfast meeting was also a means to make sure all of the women were up and ready to begin the laborious dressing process.

The list of women officially waiting on Lana today was longer than ever, as not only were her ladies-in-waiting involved, but so were her sisters and Princess Mara. Lois was the last one downstairs, but that hadn't been her fault. When Alicia had teased her eldest sister about being late, Lois had blushed slightly, but her only explanation had been to grumble something about how it would be Alicia's turn soon enough to learn about being pregnant.

The conversation at the table was excited and light-hearted, as Lois was the oldest one present, along with being the only married woman of the group. Some of the girls wanted to talk about how romantic this day was going to be, while the more adventurous girls speculated about what would happen _after _the wedding. Lana blushed furiously at such talk, until being rescued by Lois, who told every one to shut up about sex unless they'd actually had some. Of course, she ruined that moment by turning on Lana and telling her all sorts of stories that made her blush as furiously as before.

While Lana was embarrassed by the public nature of Lois' comments, at least she was now armed with fresh information from someone she trusted implicitly. _At least, _Lana thought, _I know a little bit more of what to expect now once Kal and I are alone._ When she finally shushed Lois into silence, she had her own topic of conversation. Making sure none of the servants were in the room, Lana then told her girls about Kal-El's brief late night visit. She had her attendants sighing at how romantic he was, all except for Lois, who still wasn't rhe _biggest_ fan of mushy stuff, and Mara, who couldn't quite believe that_ her_ brother was capable of something _that_ sweet.

The funny thing about the so-called breakfast was that only Lois ate more than a small slice of fresh bread with butter and honey. This was because all of the other women knew they would be wearing the tightest, most constricting corsets of their lives today. These women would need every extra ounce of space they could get. And as for drinks, no one had more than a single cup of tea or coffee, as none of them could afford a bladder issue once they reached the cathedral.

As the women ended their breakfast and headed upstairs to begin preparations, Lana pulled Lois aside, thanked her for rescuing her from being embarrassed, and then asked Lois why she'd then taken it upon herself to _continue_ the embarrassment herself.

"Easy," Lois said casually, "anyone who wants to mess with my little sister has to go through me first." Then she smirked. "But messing with you is - as your older sister - my job."

Lana just rolled her eyes as they continued their trip upstairs to get ready. "So, no one's allowed to give me a hard time except for family?"

"Now you've got it."

As Lana and Lois were walking upstairs, Kal-El and his guys were back in the winter palace, just rolling out of bed. They got extra sleep time solely because it was going to take them much less time to get ready. They had no clothes that required tight wrapping, and thus could well afford to stuff themselves full of sausages, eggs, breakfast pastries, and various fruits from the first of the fall harvest.

The one thing Kal-El had been required to do for the wedding was to choose his escorts - his groom's men. And since he didn't have a coterie of attendants following his every move, he'd had a lot more slots to fill on his own. Twelve to be exact, as he'd needed to match Lana's nine ladies-in-waiting, plus Mara, Lois, and Alicia. Most of his choices had been from the pool of young Alemannian nobles he'd known growing up. But court watchers had been surprised with a few of his picks, as he'd chosen King Richard of Anglia and Prince Harold of Krakovia as two of his groom's men, and had chosen Baron Bruce of Roskilde as his best man.

When the meal was done, and the dishes were cleared away, the men went outside in the royal gardens for a walk while their meal settled. The gardens were in their last bloom of color before the leaves began to turn and the plants prepared for winter. Most of that walk involved the married men giving the crown prince lots of conflicting - and usually hilarious - advice on how to please his soon-to-be wife in bed. Every time an unmarried man tried to enter the conversation, Kal-El responded with a sharp retort questioning the man's lack of experience, but he took the ribbing from the married men with relative good grace.

While Kal-El was getting his unsolicited and completely useless marital advice from his guys, Lana's skin had just finished being scrubbed to a state of glowing, pink perfection; then, after her pink skin had been soothed with a thin skim of butter cream, she had been sheathed in layer after layer of shifts and underskirts. Now, two older chambermaids were working together to cinch Lana's already slender torso into an even more narrow corset.

Most corsets these days used whalebone stays to give the garment its needed rigidity, but with Lana being Kryptonian, that wasn't going to be strong enough. For her corset, the stays were made of pure titanium, and there were more of them than Lana had ever had on one of her corsets, as the royal dressmakers had been ordered to make her wedding dress extra narrow in the waist, to create the illusion of a more curvaceous figure.

Lana wasn't the driving force behind the extra-narrow bodice on her wedding dress, as she knew her Kal loved her just the way she was, but she had given in to her soon-to-be mother-in-law a long time ago on most issues regarding the wedding, as it wasn't just a private wedding, but also a major state occasion. And in any case, Lana did privately admit that it would be nice to have the appearance of rounder hips and a slightly larger chest, even if for only one day.

Other servants worked on Lana's hair, brushing it out until it gleamed in the morning light streaming into the room. The hair was then pulled up and back in a pommel, before the rest was loosely curled and allowed to fall down her back in a chocolate cascade.

All in all, Lana's maids took more than three hours getting her ready. The last things put on were her wedding gown and the lace mantilla that would cover her head. Lana had seen the dress several times as the royal dressmakers had put her through fitting after fitting after _fitting, _but for this occasion, nothing short of perfection was acceptable, to either the dressmakers, the queen, or Lana herself, so she had willing gone through the lengthy process. And now, everyone else was going to get to see the result.

But not until Lana got the _first_ look in her full-length mirror.

"Oh…my…God." She had seen the dress in pieces as if was fitted to her, but never on her as a complete whole. "I've never worn white before." Lana said mostly to herself.

"Of course you haven't, Lady Lana," her most senior chambermaid replied briskly. "_No_ one is allowed to wear white unless they're in the royal family or are joining it."

Lana knew that already, but she wasn't really listening to her maid at the moment. Her focus was on the woman she saw in the mirror, and on the man she was about to marry. "I've never been this beautiful before." Then she smiled radiantly. "I can't wait for Kal to see me like this."

By the time Lana cautiously made her way down the wide stairway to the mansion's large foyer - with two maids following behind to handle the train - all of the rest of the women were ready and waiting.

As Lana came into view, a collective 'ooh and ahh' arose from below. Her dress was a glorious confection of lace and silk - all in royal white - and the style suited her perfectly. The wide, square neckline showed a bit of cleavage in front and smooth shoulder blades in back, while the puffy, gathered short sleeves with their lace trim seemingly broadened her shoulders and added to the artificial shoulder-to-waist taper caused by the super-tight corset she had on under the bodice of that dress. And that bodice, which was oh so tight to squeeze in Lana's tummy and push up her breasts to give her some cleavage, was thickly covered with the most intricate Adriatic lace.

The dress was completed with the outer skirt, which was a curtain vertical pleats, and its attendant train, both made of pure, gleaming silk. The outer skirt and the train were heavily pearl encrusted, with thread-of-silver embroidery around the edges of the train in a pattern that echoed the Adriatic lace on the bodice.

The twelve young women crowded in around Lana as much as they could without actually touching her gown, and the next several minutes were spent in excited chatter as everyone offered Lana their heartfelt congratulations on her gown. The last one to speak before the women headed outside to begin climbing into their carriages for the ride to the cathedral was Lois. She couldn't hug her sister for worry of ruining her look, but that didn't matter. "Lana, you look _great. _Poor Kal-El won't know what hit him."

While the women were entering their carriages for the procession to the cathedral, Kal-El and his escort were already well underway. He was dressed in his most formal uniform. The jacket was white, double-breasted with gold buttons and a high, stiff black collar which was thickly covered with thread-of-gold embroidery. On top of the jacket were golden shoulder boards that ran from his neck to the tops of his shoulders, where they were capped off with golden epaulets. A loop of thick, white cord ran around his left shoulder to signify his membership on the army's General Staff, and a golden belt cinched the coat at his natural waist. Last but not least was a heavy chain of gem-encrusted solid gold medallions which hung from one shoulder, down across the middle of his chest, up to the other shoulder, down to the middle of his back, and back up to the first shoulder to complete a loop. The chain was part of his regalia as the crown prince and was only worn on the most formal of occasions.

Kal-El's pants were much more subdued, being white with a black-edged golden stripe down the outside seam on each leg. The pants disappeared just below the knee, where they disappeared into the mirror-like shine of his glossy black riding boots.

And while Lana would be riding in a gilded carriage, Kal-El was riding on the back of a pure white stallion, with his best man, groom's men, and a heavy escort of knights from the royal household guard right behind him as his horse clattered his way over the cobblestones that led from the main palace gate to the cathedral square.

No one tried to talk during the few miles they had to cover, as the streets were lined at least twenty deep with loudly cheering city folk who were eager for a glimpse of their prince and his entourage as they passed by. And to keep those people from getting too close, a cordon comprised of tens of thousands of halberd-wielding soldiers lined the edges of the processional route. The soldiers here came from both the King's Legion - which Jor-El had spent much of the summer rebuilding - and from Kal-El's own Borussian army.

Kal-El and his men were already dismounting just in front of the main steps leading up to the cathedral by the time Lana and her lengthy train were carefully loaded into the last of thirteen carriages, and her procession got underway. The men lined up on the steps, with Kal-El on the top, Bruce on the next step down, and so on, as they awaited the arrival of the bridal procession.

The crowd noise from the throngs around the cathedral square settled to a dull roar once the prince and his escort took their places on the steps, but they could tell when Lana's procession drew close because of the steadily growing wave of noise from the direction of her father's mansion. That route was also lined with soldiers of the King's Legion, and each of the thirteen carriages was escorted by knights from the girls' respective families, and riding right beside each carriage was either the girls' fathers, or eldest brothers, all in their finest uniforms.

As the growing wave of noise reached a crescendo, The first carriage seemingly popped out of its street and into the square, and headed directly for a specially positioned mounting block. Only one carriage at a time entered the square, and as that carriage stopped with its door positioned exactly next to the mounting block, the male relative chosen for escort duty dismounted from his horse and helped the lady out of her carriage and down the steps of the mounting block.

Once the lady was on solid ground, two royal servants rushed in to make sure her skirt was hanging just so, and then the lady was escorted across the square to the foot of the cathedral steps, where her escort handed her off to a groom's man who offered her his arm and then walked with her up the steps and into the cathedral itself. When the first lady disappeared inside the cathedral, the next one in line was just stepping down out of her carriage for her walk. This process repeated itself over and over, with each woman receiving her share of shouts and nods of approval from the huge crowd.

Finally, the tenth carriage arrived, and Alicia stepped out. Golden-haired, and with a golden dress to match, she felt like she was floating on a cloud as she walked with Lewis across the square. "I still can't believe this is really happening, Daddy," Alicia said as they walked across the expansive square. "Lana is going to be an actual _princess."_

"And our next queen," Lewis replied. "I pinch myself every few days to make sure I'm not dreaming." Then he looked down at his youngest and wondered how long it would be until her turn came.

When they finally reached the cathedral steps, Prince Harold was waiting. Lewis handed Alicia over to the prince and hurried back to the mounting block, because Lois was next after Princess Mara. Harold offered Alicia his arm, along with giving her a warm smile.

"Ready?" Harold asked.

Alicia matched his smile with one just as sunny. "For this? Oh yes. Let's get in there and see what it looks like when a Lady Lang marries a prince."

Harold shook his head, then shot back, as they headed up the steps, "If you're lucky, the knowledge might come in handy."

Mara was next, coming to a stop in a gleaming royal carriage. She wasn't escorted by Jor-El, as he was already inside the cathedral in the royal box, and obviously Kal-El was otherwise occupied, so she was being escorted across the square by a second cousin named Cam-El, who wasn't quite used to the excitement of the capital. He much preferred the solitude of his family's tobacco fields, but the queen had asked, nd no one said no to the throne.

"Come on, Cam, get me across the square and your torture will be over," Mara said. She knew exactly how much her cousin liked this, but they had needed someone, and he cut a dashing figure in his uniform, so he had been 'requisitioned' by the queen.

When Cam handed off Mara to King Richard and made his escape from the public eye, Richard used his head to gesture to huge, boisterous crowd and all of the preparations that had gone into this day. "Getting any ideas, Mara?"

Mara took one more look around, and replied, "Tons of them."

"Hmm…maybe we could have a quick wedding in the palace chapel once we return to Anglia. Or maybe we could do the job here."

Mara smiled to the crowd and retorted, "I don't know who you'll be marrying then, because it won't be me."

Richard chuckled and walked up the steps with Mara just as Lois was being helped out of her carriage by her father. Once she was safely on the smooth stonework of the square, Lewis said, "So, how are you and my grandson holding up with all of this hoopla?"

"Grandson?" Lois asked. "How do you know that? Even I don't know that."

"Oh well, a father can hope." Once Lois had taken her father's arm, he patted her free hand and started them across the square. "I'm just hoping you'll get the question of the heir out of the way now, so there won't be any undue pressure on you for the rest of your married life."

Lois choked up a bit upon hearing that, as she knew how desperately her father had wanted that _one_ son to carry on the family name, to inherit his title and lands upon his death. She had always tried to_ be_ that son, but there were some things you couldn't do, no matter how much you wished you could.

Kal-El and Bruce were watching Lois and Lewis approach, and listening to the growing roar from the crowds along the street as the last, and grandest, carriage rolled closer to the cathedral. Just as Lois and Lewis reached the steps for the handoff, the crowd surrounding the square exploded. Kal-El looked up and saw the immense gilded carriage roll into the square.

Lewis kissed his daughter on the cheek and handed her off to her husband before turning to hurry back for Lana. Bruce offered his arm to Lois, and then took a look at Lewis walking quickly across the square, before turning himself and Lois toward an obviously eager Kal-El.

"You don't _really_ mean to make that old man go all the way out there again to do something you plainly want to do yourself," Bruce asked, "do you?"

Kal-El rubbed his face with one hand, and spoke to Bruce without allowing his eyes to wander from Lana's carriage. "Well, Mother would…"

"Your mother's inside the cathedral, well behind you. Your bride is right there in front of you." When Kal-El hesitated, Bruce said, "Go get her."

Kal-El took off at a quick trot, and caught Lewis before he made it halfway across the square. Tapping the older man on the shoulder, Kal-El said, "If you don't mind, Lewis, I'd like to take this one."

Lewis' first reaction was to insist on walking his girl this one last time before she was no longer his, but then he realized she hadn't truly been his for quite sometime. He turned to Kal-El, clapped him on the shoulder, and said, "Go on. She's been yours for quite awhile. It's time to make the obvious official." Kal-El grinned and started to turn away, but Lewis stopped him. His eyes were a bit watery now, and Kal-El noticed the change immediately. "Please take care of my baby."

Looking as serious as Lewis was, Kal-El replied, "I will."

Impulsively, Lewis threw himself forward and gave his soon-to-be son-in-law a fierce hug, before breaking away and walking back to the cathedral. Kal-El watched the man go for just a moment, before turning to the carriage that had just come to a stop next to the mounting block. He ran the rest of the way to be standing there when the footman opened the door and Lana came into view.

As Lana rose from her seat and ducked out the door of the carriage, the two maids who'd managed to squeeze their way inside the carriage, along with Lana and her dress, dealt with her train. And when Lana came into view, the crowd roar reached new heights of insanity, but that didn't matter to Lana, because there waiting for her was not her father. Instead, wearing a white royal uniform, was Kal.

Lana was surprised to see him, but Kal-El was utterly blown away as Lana took his hand and gingerly made her way down the steps to the surface of the cathedral square, with her train and the two maids coming behind her. He saw shimmering silk, intricate lace, finely detailed thread-of-silver embroidery, and pearls studding her train like stars in the sky.

But none of that matched the woman who was wearing it all. She had a lace mantilla covering her head and hair, and he refused to use his x-ray vision to sneak a peek, but while the mantilla hid her head, her dress accentuated each and every curve she had, making him aware of her body like never before. His mouth was suddenly bone dry, and not from nerves. No, this was caused by nothing but pure desire.

"White truly suits you, Lana," Kal-El breathed.

"What are you _doing_ here?" Lana asked, as she looked around furtively for any sign of her father.

"I'm sorry, Lana. I've been going crazy inside all morning, and I couldn't wait another second to see you."

"Really? You just_ had_ to see me?" Lana thought she was going to melt.

"And now that I see you…" he gulped and tried to gather his composure. "You're so beautiful…staggeringly gorgeous really. I can't believe you're mine."

"You think so?" Lana asked, as if she couldn't quite believe it. Inside her mind, though, she was turning cartwheels.

"Oh yeah. I'm going to remember the way you looked when you stepped out of that carriage for the rest of my life."

Lana's smile rivaled the sun at that moment. If no one else made a single positive comment today about how she looked, the hours of preparation would still have all been worth it. "And you…standing here looking like every little girl's _dream_ of what a prince should be…I'm so lucky."

Kal-El offered Lana his left arm, and she gladly looped her right one through it. "Come on, Lana, let's get inside before Mother gets worried and sends a search party."

"Wherever you go, Kal, I will follow."


	105. Chapter 105

Chapter 105

From This Moment On

Arms linked together, Kal-El and Lana turned toward the cathedral, with her two maids still handling the train of her dress. But as soon as Lana spotted the gray stone of the cathedral, she stopped, which brought Kal-El to a stop beside her. Curious, he asked her if something was wrong, but she just stood there, drinking it all in: the clear blue skies and bright sun, the soaring stone spires of the cathedral, the cheering throngs lining the edge of the cathedral square, the smartly attired soldiers holding back those same throngs, and most of all, the devastatingly handsome man at her side.

Lana wasn't like Alicia. She hadn't dreamed of being a princess for most of her life like her younger sister had, but she _had _dreamed of what her wedding would be like. She'd come up with a number of different scenarios over the years, but none of those dreams had prepared her for this. How could they? This was far beyond the wildest imaginings of a girl who'd never been more than a hundred miles from her home until her family had left Roskilde and headed out of the country.

Finally, she answered her prince. "Everything's perfect, Kal: the weather, the cathedral," then she looked up into his chiseled face and beamed, "and most especially you."

"The weather wouldn't _dare_ be anything less than perfect today," Kal smiled. "Even Mother Nature knows it better not mess with Mother. Thanks to hordes of workers, the cathedral is cleaner now than it was when it was brand new," he reached over and squeezed her hand briefly, "and as for me, I've been yours for a very long time."

With two hearts beating as one, two minds thinking in unison, Lana and Kal-El began their slow march toward the cathedral and their shared destiny, taking time to wave to the crowds as they went.

"If your mother is so formidable," Lana asked, "then why did you break from her plan so you could come get me yourself? Hmm?"

"How could I _not?" _Kal replied. "From the moment your carriage entered the square, I knew I wanted to be with you to start our life together as soon as possible. Then Bruce gave me just enough encouragement to convince me to go. And I'm glad I did. After all, this is _our_ day, not Mother's."

When the Kal-El, Lana, and the two maids handling her train reached the steps to the cathedral, the young couple quit waving to the crowd and ascended the steps. Lana took slow, careful steps to keep from stepping on her hem of her dress, and when they reached the top, the huge, intricately-carved, bronze-sheathed doors were being held open wide and they eagerly strode inside.

The cathedral had a spacious foyer, which was convenient at this moment for organizing all thirteen couples before they began the procession down the nave of the cathedral to the dais itself. And doing the organizing was the royal seneschal, whose job was to organize the business of the throne room and other formal events. This day, he had the first twelve couples in line. When Kal-El and Lana came inside, he gave the prince a sour look as if to say, 'Finally!' but what he did was usher the prince and his bride to their place at the end of the line, and said, "Now that we are _all_ here, we can begin."

The seneschal gestured with one hand, and the inner doors, which opened onto the nave, were pushed open. He then called out softly for the first couple to go and they began to walk down the aisle, arm-in-arm, at a slow, measured pace.

The pews in the cathedral were jam-packed with well-connected guests from all over Alemannia and around the world, and all of them turned to face the doors as they opened. Those people closest to the wide central aisle merely looked back, while those seated to well to either side craned their necks, hoping to improve their views as the first couple made their way down the length of the nave.

As that first couple moved down the aisle, an a cappella song washed down from the choir loft at the rear of the cathedral, just above the newly opened doors. The strong, clear voices of the choir filled the otherwise silent cathedral with a radiant warmth. And as the first couple reached the halfway mark, the seneschal started the next couple.

The slow-moving procession could have been boring, but for most of those in attendance, it only served to build the anticipation. One finely attired couple after another reached the front of the nave and separated, the women going to the left and the men to the right. The first couple moved far apart and stayed a good distance back from the dais. The next couple separated a step closer to the dais, and didn't move quite so far apart. On and on it went like that, with each succeeding couple helping form a wide, shallow arrowhead to point Lana and Kal-El to their appointment with destiny.

Out in the foyer, they were down to the last four couples, and Alicia was nervously bouncing on her toes as she waited with Harold for their turn to walk down the aisle. Harold, Richard, and Mara were all veterans of this sort of event and were taking the wait much more easily. Bruce and Lois weren't paying attention to much of anything besides each other at the moment, even though their only communications were with their eyes, and the touch of Bruce's hand on Lois' round baby bump.

Meanwhile, Kal-El and Lana contented themselves by watching their line of escorts dwindle. As Alicia and Harold stepped off on cue, leaving just two more pairs to go before it was their turn, Lana took note of her sister's excitement and nerves. "Are _you_ nervous, Kal?" she whispered.

Kal held up his hands, both of which were steady as rocks and then dropped them back to his sides. "I thought I would be," he whispered in reply, "but then I realized I'm marrying _you, so _what do I have to be nervous about?"

Lana leaned in and hugged Kal's arm before linking their arms again. "You know just what to say."

Richard and Mara were next, and just before they were sent down the aisle, Mara looked back at her beloved brother, puckered her lips, and then blew him a kiss before flashing him a radiant smile. Kal-El smiled back at her and then turned his gaze to the only other couple left. It was easy to see just how much in love Bruce and Lois were, even after six months' marriage; it was something for Lana and himself to aspire to, something they both meant to have, long after six months had passed in their own marriage.

Lois would have hugged Lana before taking her turn walking down the aisle, but she didn't want to risk messing up Lana's gown, so she contented herself with saying, "I'll see you down front in a few minutes, Lana. Don't keep us waiting."

Bruce just nodded his head once at Kal-El, and then the seneschal was sending him and Lois into the nave for the long, slow walk to the front. And now, Kal-El and Lana were the last ones left. They looked deeply into each other's eyes and smiled uncontrollably as they realized their life together would start in a mere handful of minutes. The seneschal didn't want to intrude on their moment, but it was his job to keep them on schedule. But unlike the others in the bridal party, Kal-El and Lana had some extra time as they were not supposed to begin their walk down the aisle when the couple in front of them reached the halfway point. No, being the bride and groom, they were to wait until Bruce and Lois reached the front of the cathedral so every eye would be fixed on them.

One other reason for the extra time was that Kal-El had a special duty to perform. He had to cast an amplification spell on both Lana and himself so everyone in attendance could hear the entire ceremony…even guests from distant lands like Princess Suma who would need an interpreter to understand what was going on. Everyone had to hear. The spells took only moment apiece.

"There. All done," Kal-El said as he cast the last spell.

And then, at long last, it was time.

The choir fell silent and a hush fell over the cathedral as the doors were closed again so that Kal-El and Lana could move into position. Once they were squarely in front of the doors, Lana's two maids carefully straightened her train and then took their positions behind her, ready to help out just in case. Then, the doors were pulled open a second time, allowing Kal-El and Lana to begin their slow walk down the aisle. As they took their first steps onto the gold-embroidered red runner that stretched from the doors to just short of the dais, the choir started up again, this time with a song composed just for this moment, and everyone craned their necks to get a look at the couple they'd all come to see.

Tall, broad-shouldered, and devastatingly handsome, Prince Kal-El was the very image of manly excellence in his gold-trimmed white uniform and gleaming black, knee-high boots. But as handsome as he was, the focus of nearly every eye was Lady Lana Lang. From the white lace mantilla that covered her face and flowing tresses, to the form-fitting, lace-covered bodice, and ending with the flowing skirt and the truly enormous pearl-studded and thread-of-silver-embroidered train, she was a vision to behold.

What happened next was completely unexpected, and with every eye on the bride and groom, it went quite unnoticed for several seconds.

King Jor-El, Queen Lara, and Lady Irilta were sitting in the royal box - which was up by the dais along the right-hand wall, raised well up off the floor level, and parallel to the nave - but with everyone looking the other direction, it took awhile for anyone to notice when the king rose to his feet and stayed there, watching his son and his soon-to-be daughter walking down the aisle.

But people did finally notice, and they stood too, as no one sat when the king was standing, unless he directed otherwise. And so, the people in the church pews stood, like a ripple spreading out on the surface of a still pond. Kal-El and Lana were surprised as the wave of standing guests surrounded and then passed them, but they kept on walking, with his glossy black boots matching her white velvet slippers stride for stride.

The closer to the front they got, the more important the guests were, until they started passing princes, princesses, royal ambassadors, and other high-ranking visitors. And then, the guests started to pass from view, revealing more and more of their bridal party spread out in the shallow arrowhead. But unlike the other couples, Kal-El and Lana didn't separate; they just kept on walking right to the dais and the two prie-dieux waiting there for them. The choir's song stopped then, and the king took his seat, followed by the rest of the wedding guests.

The prie-dieux were gilded with white velvet covered cushions on the kneelers and armrests, and as Kal-El helped Lana to kneel on hers, her maids tugged gently on her train, arranging it perfectly behind her before walking up to her and carefully folding back her lace mantilla so that her face was in view. Then they slipped off to their unobtrusive seats on the far ends of the front row. With the privileged views these two maids were going to have, they were the envy of the household staff. Once Lana was situated on her prie-dieu, Kal-El took his spot to her right, sank his knees into the kneeler and placed his forearms on the armrest.

Everything was ready. The moment had arrived.

The elderly archbishop moved forward to stand behind the intricately carved marble pulpit, which stood just on top of the dais directly in front of the prie-dieux. When he reached the pulpit and spread out his materials on its tilted work surface, what little buzz there was in the cathedral stopped as everyone strained to hear. They need not have worried, as the archbishop had been the focus of an amplification spell, too. And as for his appearance, he was resplendent in his formal red robes and his pointed, heavily brocaded miter, which sprouted from his head like another of the cathedral's majestic spires, serving to make the man look ever more stately and grand.

But then, the archbishop opened the Holy Book and smiled. It was a transforming smile, turning a look that was stately and grand into grandfatherly and warm. That smile soothed both Lana and Kal-El, and helped them release tension they hadn't even known was there.

When the archbishop spoke, there was an opening prayer, then a first reading from the Holy Book, followed by a responsorial passage from the Holy Book, and then a second reading. The choir then sang a joyous hymn before a third and final reading from the Holy Book. He then set his book aside and launched into his homily, which was a short sermon designed to give a fuller understanding of the three readings. All three readings had been about marriage: one had covered the reasons for marriage, the next had talked about the duties and obligations of each person in the marriage, while the last had spoken of the joys to be found in a proper marriage.

Kal-El thought it was a little bit strange to be lectured on marriage by an old man who had never been married in his entire life, while Lana was just hoping the elderly churchman had the stamina to make it through the whole service. But she needn't have worried. And then, before they knew it, the homily was over.

It was time for marriage rite itself.

Kal-El and Lana chanced a quick look at each other, and then each reached out a hand so she could slip hers into his. Most everyone who saw that sweet, romantic gesture smiled, even Queen Lara, but the archbishop just raised his eyebrows for a moment before continuing.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today for a royal wedding between Crown Prince Kal-El and Lady Lana Lang, and the joining of the House of El with the House of Lang. And while taking the first step toward securing the next generation of royal heirs is something to be celebrated, there is something more important, more _sacred_ happening here today: namely, the union of two hearts, two souls, two _lives,_ before their God, and all of you who are here as witnesses. So for me here today, the crown prince and lady matter little; Kal-El and Lana Lang mean everything."

The archbishop paused a moment to let his point sink in. He was rather sure that the nobles gathered here - both foreign and domestic - needed a reminder that marriages were first and foremost about two people, as most of _their_ marriages were alliances arranged by family heads, not love matches arranged by God. Then, the churchman turned his attention solely to Kal-El and Lana. No one else existed for him from that moment on.

"My dear children," the aged archbishop said, "I know your fathers have consented to this marriage, I have seen their contract on the matter, but now I have to know your thoughts." He gazed at Kal-El and then at Lana. "Kal-El and Lana, have you come here of your own free will to give yourselves to each other in marriage?"

Kal-El and Lana knew they were supposed to answer separately, but the temptation was strong for them to answer as one. Still, they managed to stick with the script, this time, as they answered.

"I have," Kal-El answered.

"So have I," Lana said, before giving Kal's hand a firm squeeze.

The archbishop continued with his questioning. "Will you love and honor each other as husband and wife for the rest of your lives?"

"I will," Kal-El said confidently.

Lana's answer matched his in word and confidence. "I will."

The archbishop smiled slightly at that moment, as he wasn't used to performing noble marriages where both halves of the future couple so plainly meant what they said when they answered him. _These two truly are in love, _he thought. _Will wonders never cease?_

"And finally, will you lovingly accept children from God and bring them up according to the laws of the Church?"

The word 'children' caused both Kal-El and Lana to smile widely, and they both squeezed the other's hand excitedly. This time, they did answer as one, as a couple might, even thought they still weren't married quite yet. "We will."

Then the archbishop looked at their already linked hands and sighed. "This is _normally_ where I would have you join hands…but as you have already taken care of that detail…" he cleared his throat, "since it is your intention to enter into marriage, it is time to declare your consent before your God and His Church." He looked at Kal-El. "Now repeat after me."

"I, Kal-El, take you, Lana Elizabeth Lang, to be my wife," the archbishop read from a sheet of paper.

"I, Kal-El, take you, Lana Elizabeth Lang, to be my wife," Kal-El replied. He felt so good to be saying those words that he felt like singing them.

"I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health."

"I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health."

The archbishop concluded with, "I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

"I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

The archbishop then turned his attention to Lana. "Repeat after me. I, Lana Elizabeth Lang, take you, Kal-El, to be my husband."

"I, Lana Elizabeth Lang, take you, Kal-El, to be my husband." The joy that Lana felt upon getting her chance to say those words knew no bounds, and that was readily apparent to everyone in the cathedral.

"I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health."

"I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health."

"I will love you and honor you all the days of my life," as he concluded reading, the archbishop looked up at Lana and smiled, quite aware that the girl was on the verge of crying. _Hold on just a few minutes longer, my lady._

"I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

"You have both declared your consent before the Church, May our God in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. What God has joined, let no man put asunder."

The guests replied by saying, "Amen."

"Now," the archbishop asked, "may we have the rings?"

Bruce was ready for his cue, and stepped forward to hand the archbishop the velvet-covered ring box that contained a matched set of platinum wedding rings, which had been made by the finest goldsmith in the kingdom.

"God, bless and consecrate Kal-El and Lanain their love for each other. May these rings be a symbol of true faith in each other, and always remind them of their love."

The guests once again replied, "Amen."

The archbishop then stepped around the pulpit and stood directly in front of Kal-El and Lana, who were still kneeling on their prie-dieux.

The archbishop offered the ring box to Kal-El. This was the one moment where the side-by-side nature of their positioning was inconvenient. She twisted slightly and reached her left arm across her body. Kal-El twisted also and released her right hand so he could hold her left hand. Kal-El then lifted the smaller of the two rings out of the box and reverently slid it onto her ring finger.

"Take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. Just as the ring has no end, neither does my love for you."

The box was then offered to Lana, as she clasped Kal's left hand with her right one, mostly to make this moment a little less awkward. She took the remaining ring and slipped it onto her beloved Kal's finger.

"Take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. From this moment on, I am yours."

Author's note: Use this link to access the song I am listening to as I write this. It's quite possibly the most perfect song for this moment.

.com/watch?v=osu7AXy5uy4

The archbishop closed the box and Bruce stepped up once more to collect it. Then the archbishop resumed his spot behind the marble pulpit and led the guests in a prayer of the faithful, followed by the final blessing.

"Be appeased, O God, by our humble prayers, and in Your kindness assist this institution of marriage which You have ordained for the propagation of the human race; so that this union made here, joined by Your authority, may be preserved by Your help. Amen."

And then it was over.

The archbishop came down once more, walk behind the prie-dieux this time, and helping Kal-El and his bride to their feet. As they turned and faced the packed pews, with Lana's train curling around the hem of her dress, the archbishop placed Lana's left hand to Kal-El's right one, and said, "It is my very great honor and privilege to introduce to you, for the very first time, Kal-El and Lana-El."

Lana started crying the moment she heard herself being called Lana-El for the first time. She couldn't help it; she was just sooooo happy.

The archbishop stepped back and looked up at the towering groom. "Son, you may kiss your bride."

Kal didn't need any further encouragement. He swept Lana into his powerful arms, lifting her off the floor and molding her body to his, before crashing his lips into hers. Many kisses have been described as 'passionate,' but this kiss beggared the word of its meaning. Lips smacked, teeth grazed, tongues tangled, and hands _itched_ to grope. Oxygen, that staple of life, was a distant memory, as the only thing they wanted to breathe in at the moment was each other. So impassioned were they, that when a lack of oxygen finally forced them to come up for air, they found themselves floating six feet off the ground.

A quick look down showed happy, smiling faces all around, even over in the royal box, where it was a close contest as to whether Queen Lara or her mother had the largest smile. But what got to Kal-El was the fact that his mother wasn't just smiling, she was crying her eyes out. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her cry, and he didn't think he'd ever seen her cry happy tears before.

"I think you've converted the last of my parents, Lana," Kal-El whispered, after canceling the amplification spells that were on them. "And none too soon, as you are now truly an El. My El."

"As you are mine."


	106. Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Princess Lana-El

Not willing to part, Kal-El and Lana stayed pressed together as Kal-El floated them down to a whisper-soft landing, even as they both felt their faces flaming over such a public exhibition of their love.

"What do you say, my wife. Do you want to get out of here? I think there's a whole city waiting to celebrate with us."

"Your wife," Lana said, as she choked back a few tears, "it sounds even better than I had imagined. I can't believe I'm Lana-El." As Kal lowered Lana to her own feet, she added, "And yes, my husband, I think we should go. After all, we have one more ceremony to attend to before the party can start."

Kal-El and Lana stood in place as her maids moved in to bring the tail of her train around behind her. Once the pearl and silver embellished train was in position, Kal-El moved to a proper distance and formally offered Lana his arm, she just as formally linked her arm with his, and they headed back down the long center aisle to the foyer and the last part of the day's ceremony which awaited them outside.

The moment the royal couple took their first steps together, the choir burst into song, but while their earlier offerings had been songs of warmth and love, this one was an explosion of joyous celebration. The onlookers reacted to the song, as expected, and rose to their feet as one, loudly cheering the young couple as they passed by.

The maids set Lana train into place as soon as she gained some distance from them, and then they followed after her, with their official witnesses coming after in reverse order of their entrance into the cathedral. So Bruce and Lois were just behind the maids, with Richard and Mara next, and so on, until the last couple left the cathedral. Then the onlookers were let out of their pews, one row at a time, to follow the bridal party out into the cathedral square.

But while the huge number of guests inside the cathedral began to file out behind them, Kal-El and Lana weren't waiting. They walked through the foyer with out pause and headed out into the early afternoon sunlight. Waiting for them, from the doors to the cathedral down the steps to the waiting royal coach was a double line of knights of the Royal Household Guard. And as Kal-El and Lana appeared in the doorway, the officer in charge of the knights voiced a crisp command, and as one they drew their swords, with opposite knights crossing their swords high in the air above the pathway between them, making an archway of steel for the newly married couple to walk under.

The formation of the archway was the first signal for most of the waiting throng that the prince and his bride were coming out. People stood on their toes and craned their necks in anticipation as they tried to see. And then, as Kal-El and Lana made their way under the crossed swords and to the coach, a deafening roar went up from all sides of the square. Kal-El and Lana spontaneously stopped to wave to the crowd before he helped her up into the front-facing rear seat of the immense open coach.

Once they were seated, and the maids had arranged Lana's train, the driver snapped his reins and the eight-horse team set off at a walk. The coach was guided on a prearranged counter-clockwise loop around the square to give the assembled commoners a chance to view the prince and his brand new wife up close, while also allowing the mass of nobles and other lucky guests a chance to file out of the cathedral and take their places for the last ceremony of the day.

As the horses placidly walked along, pulling Kal-El and Lana behind them, they both waved at the crowd and smiled. "You notice something, Lana?" Kal-El asked over the cheers of the crowd.

"No, what?" she replied.

"No more maids or ladies-in-waiting riding along to guard your honor from the 'evil man' who might _despoil_ you."

"Despoil me?" Lana said laughingly. "Since when do you talk like that, Kal?"

Kal chuckled as his lips descended on the side of Lana's face, an act that drew an extra-loud roar from the crowd. She turned her face toward him and leaned back into his arms, all in a bid to get her lips onto his. Kal cradled Lana's slender form with his thickly muscled arms. And those in the crowd who were close enough to see them marveled at the way they seemed to fit together so comfortably.

Meanwhile, the guests spilling out of the church were being arranged in wide, shallow arc all across the wide front of the cathedral. That arc was centered on a small ornate stand that had been hurriedly erected from pre-made parts during the wedding ceremony inside. A couple of wagons full of carefully labeled parts had been wheeled around front from a hiding place in back of the cathedral, and in minutes, a team of skilled craftsmen had transformed the parts into a small but elegant platform. Situated in front of the platform was another prie-dieu, which was just like the ones used during the wedding, except this one was of a simpler design.

As soon as the wedding guests had taken their places in the arc, four more liveried workers rolled out a sumptuous red velvet carpet that ran from the cathedral steps to the back of the small platform, which faced the cathedral. Lana's maids were waiting on either side of the single bench, and once the end of the red carpet was fixed in place and the workers left, everything was ready. All they needed now was for Kal-El and Lana to finish their slow circuit of the square.

As the coach was brought to a stop, with Lana's door mere feet away from the bench, a single, pure note was played on a horn. At that signal, King Jor-El, Queen Lara solemnly walked side by side out of the front doors of the cathedral, with Princess Mara a few steps behind them.

The Els weren't just dressed in the same formal uniforms and dresses they'd had on inside, not for this. Now, Jor-El wore a golden crown, studded with emeralds and rubies, and topped with a diamond the size of a robin's egg. Lara wore a slightly smaller, slightly less ornate crown, and Mara's coronet was a simple circlet of gold which was embellished with a smattering of smaller jewels. Besides the gold and jewels adorning their heads, the one other addition to their clothing was a matched set of heavy white capes which were bordered in thread of gold, and had large, golden dragons embroidered in the center.

As soon as Jor-El and family left the cathedral doors, Kal-El stepped out of the coach and walked around to Lana's door, helping her down from the coach and onto the smooth paving stones of the square. He then kissed her hard and fast, before leaving her to circle around to the back side of the platform, where servants were waiting to place a jeweled coronet on his head and drape a white and gold cape on his shoulders. And as his parents passed by, he joined the procession right next to his sister. Lana's maids, meanwhile, had stepped forward and carefully arranged her train, so that when she walked to the bench, it straightened out behind her smoothly and easily.

And now the moment was at hand.

Lana and Kal-El were married, but she had yet to be crowned and made a royal princess. That ceremony was much shorter and to the point than was the marriage ceremony, but it was just as traditional, and the Alemanni people wouldn't do without it; they wanted to _see_ her being crowned.

From Lana's position in front of the bench, the other members of the El family were arrayed in a straight line. Kal-El was on her left, looking down at her with all the love and admiration a man might be expected to have for his bride, while Jor-El and Lara were next, with twin smiles on their faces, showing just how happy they were at this moment. Mara was on the right end of the line, and she was looking with a bit of wonder at this new sister of hers. She'd always wanted a sister, and now, not only did she have one, but the new sister was an age-mate.

Jor-El cast an amplification spell on himself and gestured to the seneschal, who signaled for a couple of servants to march in and stand side-by-side a few steps behind Lana. Each of the servants was carrying a piece of regalia for the ceremony on a gleaming white velvet pillow. As soon as the servants were in place, Jor-El spoke, and the assembled multitude went quiet.

"We thank you all for being here today in Our capital city," Jor-El was speaking with the royal 'We,' "to help witness and celebrate the marriage of Our son, Prince Kal-El, to Lady Lana Lang." Jor-El paused for as the crowd roared, and when they calmed down once more, he continued. "Now that Lady Lana Lang has - with the sanction of God - become Lady Lana-El, it's time for Us to raise her up from mere lady to princess royal." That announcement, though no great news at this moment, still brought on another roar from the thousands who had managed to squeeze in around the square.

Jor-El wasn't used to being interrupted when he spoke, but today was a day for the entire kingdom to join in the festivities, and so he waited and smiled, and looked down at his new daughter. Lana hadn't been nervous before, but each roar of the crowd, each pause, built up the coming moment more and more, and she was starting to feel some nerves.

Once the noise dropped off to a decent level, Jor-El nodded his head, in response to which Kal-El and Mara stepped forward and walked down the few steps to the stone surface of the square. Then they walked over to the two servants, with Mara standing next to the servant carrying another white and gold cape, and Kal-El standing next to the servant whose pillow was carrying a golden coronet. Lana then knelt on the prie-dieu in front of her and waited.

Once her children were in position, Lara cast a quick amplification spell on herself, and looked directly into Lana's eyes. "I, Queen Lara-El, charge you, Lady Lana-El, with your duties as a royal princess: to think of the good of the kingdom in all that you do; to place the welfare of the kingdom above all else, including that of your new husband and of the king himself; and last, but not least, to produce royal heirs, so that the House of El may prosper and grow.

"Do you swear to accept this challenge, Lady El?"

Despite her growing nerves as she waited, once the moment for her to speak arrived, Lana performed as if no one was watching. Casting the one spell she knew - thanks to a lot of practice with her beloved Kal over the past week - curtseyed low to the queen, and spoke loudly and clearly. "I do, your Majesty."

"Then welcome to the family, Daughter," Lara said with a transforming smile on her face. "May you always be a credit to the kingdom and to the House of El."

That was the signal for Mara to cast her own amplification spell and then lift the cape from the servant's velvet pillow, shake it loose, drape it over Lana's shoulders and back, and carefully tie the golden cord in place. "In the name of the queen, I gird you with the cape of the House of El. As the cape shields you from the elements, so will the House of El shield you from those who would seek to harm you." The two young women then shared a hug and kisses on either cheek before Mara canceled her amplification spell and murmured, "Welcome, Sister. You can't know how long I've waited for you to arrive."

Despite Mara's closeness to Lana, no one else heard that declaration, as Lana's spell only worked on her. Mara then stepped back to where she had been, and Jor-El spoke again.

"Lady Lana-El, as you have sworn to accept the duties of a member of the royal family, and of a mother of future kings, upon royal authority We hereby pronounce you to be Princess Lana-El. May your sons and their progeny reign in Alemannia for all eternity."

Kal-El then took the golden coronet from the white velvet pillow and stepped around Lana to stand right in front of her. Their eyes met, and he paused just a moment to absorb everything about her, as the maids came forward to remove her lace mantilla so he could place the golden circlet on her head. And when the mantilla was gone, Kal cast his own amplification spell, and said, "In the name of the king, I place this golden diadem on you brow as the symbol of your new state in life: Princess of Alemannia. May you wear it with honor, dignity, and grace all the days of your life." Kal then canceled his spell, winked at Lana, and whispered, "You're my princess, now and forever more."

Jor-El ended the ceremony with a few last words. "Lana, you knelt as a lady, now rise as a princess." Then he turned his focus on the crowd. "I present to you, Princess Lana-El, next Queen of Alemannia."


	107. Chapter 107

Chapter 107

Celebrate!

The moment Lana stood, all of the bells in the cathedral's main spire began to ring. Each of the massive bronze bells required several acolytes pulling on long, thick ropes to start them in motion, but there was no shortage of ringers this day; the bells were scheduled to ring for hours.

As Lana stood, and after her maids moved in to take charge of her train, she turned to wave and smile at the crowd all around. Most were too far away to see much of her smile, but the wave and her incredible beauty were more than enough. When she finished waving, Kal-El stepped to her side once more. This time, he didn't formally offer her his arm; instead, he engulfed her hand with his, and together they walked back to the waiting open coach. He handed her up into the coach and the maids arranged her train one last time as he walked around to the other side of the coach to climb in beside her.

Once Lana's dress was in place, the maids moved back and the coach pulled away, taking another slow lap of the square to give the crowd there a look at their prince and his new princess, before heading down the one street kept open for their use by a double line of pike-wielding soldiers. In front and behind the gilded coach rode a heavy escort: one-hundred knights of the Royal Household Guard clad in white tabards and gleaming armor, with each man pointing an eight-foot-long lance skyward and riding a powerful destrier.

The knights were there for show, but also for business. They had secret orders from the king himself to engage and kill _anyone_ who broke through the lines of pikemen. Jor-El wasn't willing to risk a repeat attack on either the prince or princess, especially not today. And to make things even more safe, Kal-El and Lana had equally strict orders to fly straight up out of the coach and head for the palace should any disturbance occur. But that contingency wasn't on the minds of anyone other than the knights and soldiers at that moment. The people were just interested in catching a glimpse of the storybook couple as they trotted on by.

And while the palace was to be the center of the celebration, the royals and their powerful guests weren't the only ones to be partying on this day. No, a good-sized part of the planning and financial outlay for the celebration had been about making sure that every brewer, every baker, and all other providers of food were fully stocked and able to feed anyone and everyone on this day; the party was going to fill the streets for hours and hours.

One thing the happy couple noted as they rode along was how the bells of every church in the city, both large and small, began to ring in response to the cathedral bells. In a matter of minutes, the entire city was being flooded with the joyous sound. While Lana and Kal-El wove their way along their prescribed path through the city, to make sure as many people saw them as possible, the wedding guests filed into their coaches and carriages for a more direct ride to the winter palace.

By the time Lana and Kal-El's gilded coach reached the palace grounds, there was a line of guests' coaches backed up from the palace itself almost all the way back to the main gate, a distance of almost two miles. That was accounted for in the plan though as the driver of the royal coach headed around the perimeter of the walled grounds and entered through a side gate normally only used for supply deliveries.

While the reception guests were arriving in the sprawling courtyard, Lana and Kal-El slipped into the palace virtually unseen through a service entrance. Once there, Lana was whisked away to change out of her unwieldy wedding gown and into another white gown more suitable for a party. Kal-El, meanwhile, was checking with a palace steward to make sure all of his and Lana's belongings were packed and loaded onto wagons. That wagon train was scheduled to begin the trip to their new home the next morning under heavy guard.

When Lana stepped out of the room that had been commandeered for her use as a temporary changing room, Kal-El was waiting for her. True, as her husband, he could have insisted on being inside the changing room, but now was not the time for that; he and Lana both wanted to save _that_ unveiling for bedtime, when there would be no one to witness but they themselves.

What Kal-El saw right now was more than enough for him: not only had Lana gotten rid of her wedding dress and its attendant hassles, but her hair had been let down to flow down over her shoulders and onto her back in silken waves, and while her new dress was a close fit, he could tell she had taken off the tight-fitting corset. As for the dress itself, it was royal white, with a bodice that was heavily brocaded with the same thread-of-silver that had been used on the train of her wedding gown. And this time, instead of pearls studding a long, heavy train, she wore a triple strand of perfectly matched flawless pearls around her neck and down onto the ample skin exposed by the dress' deep, square neckline. The intent of the royal dressmakers was to echo elements of the wedding gown in this somewhat simpler dress, tying them together in the minds of everyone who saw her. Lana knew of this design philosophy and heartily approved of it, but at this moment, all she cared about was Kal-El's reaction to what he was seeing.

She didn't have to wait long.

Kal-El stood a few paces back and blatantly stared, taking in every exquisite inch of her from head to toe. He then gestured with one hand for her to turn for him, and when she did, he gave a low whistle of amazement. Lana was facing him once more before he looked back into her eyes and spoke.

"How is it that you become more and more stunningly beautiful every time I lay eyes on you? Just the sight of you in that dress makes me want to skip the reception and…" Words failed Kal-El at that moment, but the flash of red in his eyes said what his mouth could not.

Lana's shy smile was all the answer he would get, but when her eyes flashed to match his, he pulled her into a heated embrace and pillaged her mouth with his tongue like he'd always wanted to: letting it slide along her teeth, dancing with her tongue, and probing the depths of her mouth.

As for Lana, she quickly slipped her hands up Kal's chest, across the sides of his face and sank her fingers into his ebon locks to hold him securely against her. And while her chambermaids stood by and pretended nothing was going on, the only sounds that could be heard were wet lip smacks, heavy breathing, and soft moans.

When they finally pulled back for a breath, they shared hungry-eyed gazes as Kal said, "I've been dying to get you alone for what seems like hours, so I could kiss you just like that."

Lana smiled knowingly, but said, "Well, we _did_ kiss in the coach now and then."

"Not like _this." _Kal's voice was heavy with emotion, with desire, with a husband's _need _for his new wife.

And just before their mouths came crashing together again, Lana murmured, "Not like this at _all."_

One of Lana's chambermaids leaned over and chuckled, as she said, "It's a good thing the guests will be coming in for another half-hour at least."

"True," another maid replied, "at this rate we'll need every one of those minutes to drag our princess and her prince away from each other's lips and _to_ the State Dining Room."

That's almost what happened, as Kal and Lana found that no longer having to worry about her reputation was more freeing than either one of them had expected. They ended up taking every opportunity during their walk to the dining room to stop for some heated kisses.

Still, they managed to make it to the anteroom where the wedding party was staging. When Kal-El and Lana entered the room, everyone except Richard and Mara either bowed or curtseyed and held that position until Kal-El signaled for them to rise. That was the first time Lana had been honored like that by other nobles, and it made he feel a little bit weird. These people were all family, friends, and acquaintances of hers, and several of them had outranked her until Kal placed the coronet on her head. But once everyone rose, things were back to normal as the girls excitedly gathered around Lana to congratulate her, admire her coronet, and draw out every single detail of how she felt.

Kal was similarly surrounded by the men, who were somewhat more subdued in their reactions, until they saw a lip print on his face right next to his mouth.

"Jeez, Kal-El," Bruce said, "I know you're anxious, but don't you think mauling your new wife can wait until _after_ the reception?"

The other guys chipped in with more good-natured ribbing, until Kal-El ended it by turning to where Lana was holding court, nodding toward her as she looked up and smiled at him, and replying, "Can you blame me?"

Finally, the king and queen entered the room, which meant it was time to go, but not before Jor-El and Lara got to meet with Kal-El and Lana to offer their personal congratulations. The king started by shaking Kal-El's hand, before pulling him into a wordless bear hug that would have crushed the ribs of a normal man. Lara, on the other hand, held Lana by the shoulders and warmly welcomed her to the family before starting to babble about how beautiful she was and how well the day was going.

Jor-El wasn't quite sure when Lara was going to stop talking once she got going, so as soon as he quit hugging his son, he stepped in behind her and squeezed her shoulders. "Lara dear, let Lana go for now; it's time to go. The guests are _finally_ all seated."

That got everyone to line up, after which Jor-El and Lara led the procession from the anteroom to the huge State Dining Room itself. The seneschal stood just inside the doors to announce the king and queen as they entered. And as they did, everyone in the room stood. The center aisle was just wide enough for two people to walk side by side, with the rest of the rows of tables being very closely spaced to so the many, many guests could be seated.

All eyes were on Jor-El and Lara, until the reached the gently curving head table that graced the front of the immense dining room. Instead of taking their usual places at the center of the table, they left those center seats open and instead took the seats on either side of the center ones. Once they were seated, the guests sat with them, and the seneschal announced the first pair of Kal and Lana official escorts.

Just like at the cathedral, each pair made it halfway to the front before the next pair was introduced, until only Kal and Lana were left. And just like at the cathedral, they were held back until everyone else was in place. All the escorts were seated and everyone was waiting expectantly, when a trumpet fanfare was played from the four corners of the room. Then the seneschal said in a magically-aided booming voice, "Your Majesties, princes and princesses, lords and ladies from all over the world, it is now my great honor to introduce to you, in their first social engagement since their marriage, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Alemannia, Lord Kal-El and Lady Lana-El."

While Kal-El and Lana had been waiting, she had been admiring the opulence and immensity of the State Dining Room, while he had been openly staring at her. Crystal-and-gold chandeliers glittered high overhead, sending shimmering sparks of light into every corner of the room, and golden, torch-filled sconces with mirrors behind them hung on the walls, bathing the celebrants with light. Tall, narrow white marble columns along the walls, golden silk wall coverings, and huge white marble mantels in front of the six massive fireplaces lining the sides of the room never failed to awe her.

As Kal-El and Lana walked into the room, Jor-El and Lara stood once more, and everyone stood with them and cheered the newlyweds. The whole spectacle was breathtaking, especially for Lana, who still considered herself to be a small town girl at heart, no matter where she was currently living.

Once Kal and Lana reached their seats, everyone sat and the twelve-course meal began. The food and wine were sumptuous, and the meal took all of four hours to serve and consume, but Lana and Kal could barely taste anything served to them, and the time just seemed to fly by, as they spent most of the meal feeding each other, gazing into each other's eyes, and playing footsie under the table.

Before they knew it, they were being asked to lead a procession outside into the palace's torch-lit courtyard for the dance. The use of the courtyard for dancing was a tacit admission that not even the Grand Ballroom was large enough for the number of guests at the palace this evening. And once everyone was present and pressed back on all sides, Kal bowed to Lana, who curtseyed back to him, before they opened the dancing all by themselves. After that, Lana danced with Lewis and then Jor-El, while Kal danced with his mother and then with the pregnant Lois, who was standing in for Lewis' long-dead wives.

"We've come a long way from you beating the crap out of me, Lois," Kal-El said, once their dance started.

"True," Lois said, with a smile creeping across her face. "You know, I don't have to do that to Bruce."

"Why not?" Kal asked, curious to see where Lois was going with this.

"Because, he lets me cross swords with him, even if he _does_ take it easy on me." Then she looked down at her bulging mid-section. "Well…not any more. Not until the baby arrives anyway."

"Congratulations, Lois. I'm hoping you two can show Lana and I what it's like to have children."

"Oh…don't worry about that, Kal-El," Lois assured him. "Lana's already offered to be the godmother of our first child; that makes you the godfather. So I expect you'll see a lot of our boy."

"Boy? You know already? Did Lana x-ray you?"

"No, none of that," Lois replied smugly. "I just know."

Kal-El smiled at her calm self-assurance, and danced with about every female relative he had, including Grandma Irilta, before getting another chance with Lana. He sighed the moment her butter-soft hands touched his. "Ah…bliss."

"I know what you mean," Lana replied happily. "I danced with a few distant relatives of yours that I'd never even _met_ before tonight." Lana pulled Kal close against her and leaned her head against his chest. "I wish it was just us, Kal." She paused a moment, but he waited for her to continue. "I mean, this has been the most _amazing_ day…but it's been non-stop, wall-to-wall people from the moment my carriage left the grounds of Father's mansion."

Kal absentmindedly ran the fingers of one hand down the length of Lana's silken tresses, even as he considered what she had said. It only took him a few moments' consideration before he said, "Your slightest wish, my lady, is my command."

Lana barely had time to look up at him and voice a surprised, "What?" before he had taken one hand and was leading her through the throng of dancers, and toward one of the many refreshment tables spread around the perimeter of the courtyard. Once they'd reached the relative calm of the edge of the crowd, Kal led Lana to the wide tunnel that connected the courtyard to the palace gardens, the surrounding park, and the gravel path that led back to the city.

A number of people saw the prince and princess go, but thought little of it until they stopped and the prince used an amplification spell to say, "Lana and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts - one and all - for coming to visit the Kingdom of Alemannia and to honor our wedding with your presence. But now, it is with some regret that we take our leave. The hour is late, and we must go if we intend to make it to our new home on schedule."

Jor-El, Lara, and the rest of their families and friends already knew the young couple was going to leave the party early, though none of them knew about Kal's secret plan to stop just outside of town and fly the rest of the way home. That was mostly because he wanted that part of the plan to be something secret, something he shared only with his wife, but it also had a practical component, as he wanted to avoid the age-old practice of shivaree.

A shivaree is where a large crowd of family, friends, and others take it upon themselves to harass the newlyweds in a friendly way on their wedding night. As long as no one knew they were headed all the way back to Borussia tonight, no one would be able to bother them and interrupt their most personal celebration of their love. Having taken their leave of the party, Kal looked down to Lana and asked, "Ready to go?"

"Oh, Kal…" Lana pulled him down for a ferocious kiss and tasted every corner of his mouth before she let him go. "I think I was _born_ ready to go with you."


	108. Chapter 108

Chapter 108

Forever Tonight

Kal and Lana linked hands and turned to walk through the tunnel and under the south wing of the palace. A minute later, they popped out the other side of the tunnel just as their coach rolled to a stop in front of them. It wasn't as large or as ornate as the one they'd used to parade through the city streets this afternoon, but it was still larger than anything Lana had ever been in before today.

Two chests of clothing for their so-called trip were strapped onto the roof of the coach, a liveried driver and footman were sitting on the driver's bench up front, and two more liveried footmen were standing on the back. One footman held the door to the coach wide open, while another one placed a small set of steps in place for their use. Kal handed Lana up inside, and since this dress had no train to get in the way, he followed her up inside and sat by her side as the footmen prepared the coach for travel. Four glass-and-gold lanterns hung on the corners of the coach, and a little of their light seeped into the coach's spacious, well-appointed cabin.

That light wasn't needed though, nor was it particularly wanted by the cabin's two occupants, who quickly drew heavy curtains over the windows before going back to what they had started doing the moment Kal had sat down…namely kissing.

Neither Kal nor Lana really noticed the moment the coach the coach set into motion, but a nearby officer of the Royal Household Guard did and he led his troop of knights into position to protect the royal couple and to guide them on a slow, winding path through a horde of drunken revelers, out of the city, and eventually to Borussia.

The blissful ignorance of Lana and Kal ended quickly. As soon as the coach made it out of the city and started to pick up speed, the two of them sat up straight and neatened their appearances, while Kal used x-ray vision on occasion to check their progress. Once the city disappeared from view, Kal rapped on the front of the coach, and the driver brought it to a halt. The steps were back in place and the door was opened, even though the footmen had no idea why the prince and princess were stopping in the middle of nowhere.

It took Kal only a moment to give a new set of orders to the driver and to the officer of his guard. They were to continue on, stopping in the same towns and sleeping at the same inns as planned. Used to following orders from the royal family, no matter how weird they got, both the driver and the officer nodded their understanding.

Kal then turned to Lana, and asked, "Did you dress for the flight?"

Lana giggled and lifted the front of her dress. Kal's first reflex was to burn the eyes of any man who was looking in Lana's direction, as he thought her bare legs were going to come into view. But instead, under the white silk of the dress and her underskirts was more white silk. Only this time, the silk had been cut and sewn into pants.

"Clever!" Kal said.

"Thanks," Lana replied, "but the credit goes to the royal dressmakers. I explained my problem to them and they came up with these so I wouldn't have to wear those boy's leather pants anymore when I want to fly. And yes, I know silk isn't as durable as leather, but they made me a dozen pairs of the pants. When I need more, I can have my own dressmakers create some for me."

"So, now you can fly in style," Kal grinned.

"And in modesty," Lana added.

Kal stood within an reach of Lana and held an arm to her with the palm of the hand facing up. "Ready to go, My Love?"

Lana reached out and placed her hand face down in his. Their eyes met as their hands clasped tightly. "Away from the crowds? Away from the hustle and bustle? Alone with you?" Both Kal and Lana were wearing grins which were growing larger with every word she spoke. "Count me in!" Then she blinked hard one time and giggled. Just as he was about ask what was so funny, Lana said, "Maybe we should leave the coronets here with our belongings. I'd hate to lose one mid-flight."

Kal laughed out loud and lifted his coronet off his head before he collected Lana's and entrusting them to the officer of the guard. Once he reclaimed Lana's hand, he asked, "Now?"

She nodded her head and smiled widely. "Now."

Together they bent their knees and squatted low, until their buns almost touched their heels, and then they launched themselves into the air. All the guards and the men on the coach heard was a rush of wind and loud "Wooooooooooohoooooo!" as the Els disappeared from sight.

After rocketing up through a few high-flying clouds, Kal and Lana leveled off and slowed way down. They hadn't had the chance to play around in the air since the day of the assassination attempt. And this time there were no constraints, and no nervous father waiting patiently for his virgin daughter to come back.

"Are you in a big hurry to get home?" Lana asked. She was floating on her side, as if resting on an invisible bed, with her dress drooping below her.

"Not as long as you're _here," _Kal replied, as he floated in front of her.

"I _am_ here," Lana agreed, as she gave her husband a sultry look. "But no one else is."

"We're all alone for the first time."

"No family. No servants. No guards."

Kal drifted closer to Lana, until they were almost touching. "And _no_ ladies-in-waiting drifting around you like a cloud."

"Just you, and a few real clouds." Lana rotated until she was 'standing' in front of Kal, their bodies touching. She looped her arms around his neck and pulled him against her for a heated kiss with lips smacking, teeth grazing, tongues tasting. "Did I ever tell you I love flying? Our various heights don't matter this way. Much nicer for kissing."

"True." Kal slid his hands down her sides until his hands came to rest on her hips. He then started kneading her hips through layer upon layer of fabric. "You haven't gotten to fly yet, though, not really. But _now," _a devilish smile crept across Kal's face, "we have all the time we could possibly want, and the whole world is our playground."

"What do you mean?"

Kal pushed Lana away from him, just enough to put himself out of her reach, and then said, "Catch me if you can," before darting off into a nearby cloudbank.

Lana was surprised, but only for as long as it took her to take a breath, and then she was off, chasing Kal from cloud to cloud, and when she finally caught him, they hovered high above the earth and kissed again, before Lana took off and made Kal chase her.

Back and forth they went, playing a high-flying game of tag, while heading steadily away from Königsberg and toward their new home. Finally, a quick look down through the clouds allowed Kal to confirm they had arrived high in the sky over their palace in Borussia. Not quite willing for their fun to end just yet, he rolled over and floated on his back with his arms folded behind his head, as if lying on a bed. Lana saw this, floated over and straddled him, with her butt firmly planted on his abs. Her hair was wild and tangled now, having been blown here and there during their flight, but Kal thought she looked radiant. She started idly toying with the buttons on the front of his formal uniform coat, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

He hadn't seen any outward sign of Lana's worry, but the moment she spoke, it was plainly evident in her voice. "Worried about what, My Heart?"

"About what waits us below. It's what we're expected to do - what I _want_ to do."

"It's what I want to do, too." Kal brought his hands from behind his head and lightly stroked the tops of her fabric-covered thighs. Lana smiled and looked down at his hands, watching as his thick, strong fingers caressed her, before Kal asked, "What about it?"

"I'm worried that when…" Lana closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then let everything out in a rush, "…thatwhen_myclothescomeoff,_ I won't please you."

Kal's eyes were about to bulge out of his head; for him, the very idea that Lana wouldn't please him was as ludicrous as they come, but he kept listening and continued to stroke her thighs as she went on. He wasn't about to make fun of her insecurities, especially not now.

"Won't please me in what way, Dearest?" Kal asked. He figured an extra endearment right now wouldn't hurt a bit. "Because I'm just as inexperienced as you are."

"I know that, Kal," Lana said, as she favored him with a small smile, "it's just that I know what other women look like, and I know that compared to them I'm…I'm small and skinny."

"Ah," Kal said, as understanding flooded his mind, "you think I might prefer large breasts and round hips to what you have. Is that it?" Lana nodded her head ever so slightly. "There's a lot of things I could say or do to prove you wrong, Lana. But none of them are as likely to get through to you like this one…"

Kal placed his hands on her hips and slid her back down his body. Lana was curious as to what was supposed to happening, until she felt something moving up between her legs, pressing right over her center…something that was surprisingly _hard. _

"Is that…" Lana began to ask, as her eyes grew wide, "…what I _think_ it is?"

"Yeah, it is." Kal stopped sliding her back, allowing her body to come to rest right on top of the hardness. "And what it is, is proof of just how much I want you. A man can lie about many things, Lana, but not about this." Kal chose that moment to flex his hips and grind up against her.

Lana could almost _see_ Kal's eyes glaze over with lust as he spoke; she no longer had any doubts about his reaction when their clothes came off, and she was chiding herself for ever having entertained those doubts in the first place.

"And as for the size and shape of your body?" Kal said, yanking her attention back to him where it belonged. "I'll take firm, subtle curves in place of overly fleshy ones _any_ day."

Kal was _done_ talking. He pulled Lana down on top of him as they floated thousands of feet above their home, and laid into her with a ferocity she had yet to experience: hard, hot, dominating kisses; hands that roved wherever and fondled whatever they pleased; and a throbbing ache in his pants that demanded to be satisfied.

Lana was stunned for a moment by Kal's unbridled passion, but then she fought fire with fire, and unleashed the 'bad girl' she had suppressed since childhood: every un-acted-upon impulse Lana had ever had was poured into her response as she matched Kal kiss for fiery kiss; her fingers sank deep into his curly locks, allowing her to tilt his head and achieve just the right angle for better kissing; and while his hands were roaming all over her, driving her wild with their touch, she was unconsciously grinding her center up and down the length of his hardness, causing both of them to moan with unsatiated need.

The two lovers kept going until they realized that to go any further, they had to be inside. Neither one wanted their first time to be in public, even if the only eyes that could currently see them belonged to birds and other Kryptonians. So, Kal shifted position and cradled Lana in his arms before hurtling down out of the sky to come to a soft landing on the wide, plant-strewn stone balcony outside her private chambers.

Lana giggled breathlessly after Kal's high-speed descent, and collapsed against his chest as she regained her composure. Kal, meanwhile, was remembering the protocol of this palace, specifically, the part that stated that the duchess' private chambers were her domain and that no one, not even the duke himself, could enter her rooms without her express permission.

"My lady," Kal asked tenderly, "may I have permission to enter your quarters?"

Land had mostly forgotten about this, as she hadn't spent much time in this palace yet, but she gathered herself, and said, "Yes, my lord. You may."

Kal smiled then, and reached down with one hand just long enough to flick the door handle and pull it open. Long before, when he and Lana had last been here for a brief stop on their trip back to the winter palace following the wedding of Bruce and Lois, Kal had left some last minute instructions with the palace staff. All of those instructions involved this night and had to do with these very rooms, because he had been planning this wedding night getaway even then. Now it was time to see how well his staff had responded; the fact that the balcony door latch was unlocked as ordered was a good first sign. Kal kissed Lana once, then carried her across the threshold, before kissing her again and setting her down.

As duchess here in Borussia, Lana would normally have a bevy of chambermaids to prepare her for bed, but tonight, the maids had finished their preparations hours ago. This door, it turned out, led directly into the bedroom itself, and the only light in the room was provided by the small fire in the large fireplace in the far corner of the room. Since she knew the maids knew about her being Kryptonian and thus not able to get cold, Lana assumed the fire was simply for light.

But the small fire didn't supply much light, and she _so_ wanted to see Kal, especially as he got undressed. She'd had any number of erotic dreams about him, especially after seeing him shirtless a time or two, and if the rest of him was even half as delectable as his chest, she wanted to see every single inch. But as she stepped out of his arms to find an oil lamp or two, a series of strategically placed candles flickered to life on all sides of her bedroom. By the time she realized what was happening and turned back to look at Kal, the red glow was already fading from his eyes.

"Wha…? How did you know those candles were there? I didn't even know…" But before Kal could answer, Lana answered the question herself. "You _knew_ they were going to be there…you _planned_ this." Then she looked up at him hopefully. "What _else_ do you have in store for us?"

Kal turned from Lana just long enough to close the balcony door - a symbolic way of closing them off from the rest of the world - before turning back to her, and saying, "In your sitting room, there should be a light meal set out for us, just in case you're hungry, since I wasn't sure how much you might eat during the banquet."

Lana stepped in close to Kal, close enough that his arms automatically enfolded her, just as she said, "The only thing I'm hungry for…" she looped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a long, slow, heated kiss, "…is you."

That was the last thing either one of them said for awhile.

Lana dove back into kissing Kal, brushing her mouth against his, before sliding her tongue out to taste him. And when he groaned into her mouth, she slipped her tongue between his open lips to pillage the warm, wet cavern of his mouth.

Flush with excitement, Kal's hands fumbled aimlessly on Lana's back for the buttons to her dress, but his normally dexterous fingers weren't even able to find the buttons, much less unfasten them. Unable to wait a moment longer, his hands moved around to the front of her dress, got a firm grip right in the center of the dress' square neckline, and pulled apart _hard,_ ripping the bodice of her dress from neck to waist.

The top half of Lana's expensive dress was shredded, utterly ruined, and she couldn't have been more thrilled. Mere minutes earlier, she had been worried Kal might not like her body, and now, he was so overcome with desire that he was ripping her clothes off like a madman.

Once started, Kal couldn't be stopped; Lana's shift was in tatters seconds later, and he pushed the entire ruined mess over her hips, before allowing it to fall to the floor. She still had on the white silk pants she'd had made expressly to protect her modesty while flying, and somewhere in the middle of that pile of ruined fabric she still wore bejeweled slippers, but at that moment Lana was completely bare from the waist up.

Author's note: this is a link to the song I'm listening to as Kalana make love. Check it out if you want to, I think it's perfect for these two at this time.

.com/watch?v=qeTWVguWiuk

Few things could cut through the fog Kal was in at the moment, but the sight of her creamy white skin - skin that saw sunlight only in his fevered dreams - slowed and then stopped him in his tracks. He looked into her eyes first, seeking permission to look longer, to stare in fact, and when she nodded her head, he returned his eyes to her chest and allowed them to feast.

Lana blushed a fiery red then, as the sincere appraisal of his lust-filled eyes affected her much more than being undressed by him had. And when Kal _realized_ he was still fully clothed while she was on display, he shredded his white and gold jacket, tossed the scraps aside, and repeated the process with his starched white shirt and the undershirt beneath it.

"There, that's better," he said, distractedly, his eyes never once having left her skin.

Lana took in a shuddering breath as she eyed Kal's chiseled arms, bulging chest, and serrated abs. He was just as delicious as she remembered, only now, she didn't have to hold back. "It sure is," Lana whispered, as she licked her lips. "You look…_yummy."_

From there, things went more slowly, almost reverently, as each one removed the remainder of the other's clothes. Breathing was hard for both of them by now, and for Kal, so was something else, and it was harder than ever.

"Dear God…you're more beautiful than I'd dared to dream," he breathed.

As for Lana, she saw so many things that pleased her eye, that she hardly knew where to start, but before she could close in on Kal and choose, he moved in and literally swept her off her feet. Together they floated through the air and landed together in the middle of her four-poster canopy bed, where they immediately began to kiss once more. They had the kissing part down pat; it was going beyond kissing that was going to take some figuring out. Each knew the mechanics of the sex act, but actually doing it, and doing it _together,_ was the problem.

Every place they placed a hand or ventured to kiss was a new experience for both of them. They quickly discovered that the give-and-take of learning each other's body, learning what and how much and how fast, was going to be an ongoing process. There were awkward moments, times when Lana wasn't comfortable with what Kal was doing, or times when she wasn't quite understanding what he wanted, but they got past those moments with the most important tool of their relationship, both now and in the future: they talked and listened…they _communicated._

And soon enough, the two first-time lovers found ways of pleasing each other. Kal found several spots on Lana's body that she loved to have kissed and stroked. She, in turn, discovered that a gentle, steady hand pressure up and down his manhood could make him beg like a child.

And after a long, slow buildup, both lovers were panting and covered with a light sheen of perspiration, when Lana gave in to her growing need and asked Kal to take her. As he positioned himself between her slender legs and prepared to join them together physically, he took great comfort in her Kryptonian strength. Still, he was careful, and asked Lana if she was _sure_ she was ready.

"Please, Kal," Lana squealed, as he unintentionally dragged his manhood up and down the length of her entrance, "_nowwwwwwww!"_

He waited no longer, pushing in gently, allowing her body to adjust to his and then easing in some more. Lana was glad she couldn't feel any pain, because it felt to her like she was being split in half. But once he was inside her all the way, he paused, and to her it felt like the most natural thing in the world to be joined with him like that. After that, they worked together, with his hips driving him in and out at a rhythmic pace, with her heels digging into his back to ensure he got in as deeply as he could.

It didn't last long though, as Kal was just as much a virgin as Lana. The friction of being inside of her combined with his emotions to quickly overwhelm his control, and he spilled his seed deep inside of her. He had groaned and moaned as he reached his climax, and then spent the next five minutes or more apologizing to Lana for being so selfish.

While she hadn't reached her peak yet, she didn't mind. The idea that Kal was so excited to be with her that he couldn't control himself, when added to the look of pure animalistic lust that had been on his face as he lost control, was enough for her…this time anyway. For if there was one thing Lana knew about the bodies of Kryptonians, it was this: they had more than enough stamina to go all night long. And she wasted no time in telling that to Kal.

"Don't worry about it, My Love," she said, as she stroked the side of his face.

"Why?" he asked, with a puzzled look on his face.

"Because, this was just our first time tonight." Lana smiled when a look of comprehension slipped over his face. "We'll have all the practice we need to get it right." And when Kal gave her a feral grin, she became more than confident that she would reach her climax.

After all, practice makes perfect.


	109. Chapter 109

-1Chapter 109

The Glory of Love

The next morning, Lana woke in stages. The candles from the night before had long since burned out, the fireplace was filled with logs but remained unlit, and with the heavy black curtains over her windows and balcony door blotting out the morning light, her room was very nearly completely dark.

At first, Lana wasn't quite sure where she was. Then, as the fog in her brain thinned out and her body checked in, she realized she was sore…in places she could never even _recall_ being sore before. And then she remembered _why_ she was sore, and she smiled the biggest, most self-satisfied grin of her life, as most everything _else_ from the night before came flooding back to her.

But that, in turn, made her realize Kal wasn't in bed beside her where he ought to be. She ran a hand over the spot on her feather mattress where he had been sleeping and found it was still warm; that meant he hadn't been up long. A quick use of her x-ray vision quickly spotted him in her sitting room as he took an enormous tray from the several servants who had brought it up and then loaded it down with all sorts of silver trays and bowls.

Wanting some light to see her husband when he came back in, Lana turned to the fireplace and summoned the image of sexy, naked Kal from last night before turning the pile of logs into a towering inferno.

"Oops!" Lana chuckled, as Kal walked into the room carrying the carefully balanced tray before him.

Kal paused just long enough to take in the large fire Lana had inadvertently started, then he looked at her and merely quirked a single eyebrow at her, before they both dissolved in hopeless laughter. He had the goody-laden tray to deal with while he laughed, but it was no match for his strength and dexterity as he made his way to Lana's side of the bed.

Her bed was huge, but so was the tray; it was specifically designed and built in the palace's workshops to be used with the beds in the bedrooms of the duke and duchess. Kal used superspeed to unfold the support legs on each side of the very wide tray without spilling anything. The weird thing was that Lana ended up having to sit up very, _very_ straight to have proper access to the tray's serving surface. Puzzled by this she looked up at Kal with a questioning look on her face as he eased a couple of folded-up pillows under her butt to raise her up a little bit higher.

That look just made Kal laugh out loud. "Forgotten last night already have we?" he asked rhetorically. When that reference didn't clear things up for her, he elaborated. "We broke the legs of the bed last night. Remember?"

Lana flushed a brilliant crimson as the memory came flooding back into her mind. She wasn't embarrassed because they had broken the bed, not _much_ anyway; she was mostly embarrassed because of _how_ they had broken it. They had been on their fourth go-around and she had been chasing her second climax. Kal had done most of the work up until that point, but this time, Lana had been straddling his hips and riding him hard and fast.

Neither one of them knew if the bed had broken as a result of something specific she had done, if it was just the accumulation of a night of lovemaking and sexual exploration, or what, but what was _not _in dispute was that the four bed legs had cracked and shattered within seconds of one another, allowing the heavy bed frame to fall to the floor with Lana still on top of Kal, riding him as if nothing untoward had happened.

"Don't worry, Lana," Kal smirked, as he made adjustments to the height of the tray. "We'll get the furniture maker to use steel legs next time." Once the tray was ready, he took off his luxurious robe, then pulled the tray back on his side of the bed and climbed in next to her, before bringing the tray back into position. "Now, what do you want to sample first?"

"Breakfast in bed," Lana murmured appreciatively. "You are just full of surprises." Then she x-rayed the various covered silver trays and bowls. In them was a wide array of fresh fruits, breakfast meats, pastries…everything they could possibly have wanted to eat. The palace's head chef normally didn't work in the morning, but with the duke and his new duchess coming to the palace to live, he had come in extra early to personally oversee each and every item as it was made. Nothing was allowed to go wrong, not today.

After perusing her choices, Lana gestured at a plate that was stacked high with hot, flaky croissants. Kal lifted the lid off of that tray and held it out for her to make a selection. Once Lana made a plateful of breakfast choices, Kal chose food for himself. But it wasn't long before they were playfully feeding each other, stuffing bites of flaky pastries or juicy fruits inside the other's mouth. That led to delectable pieces of food being smeared on cheeks and jaws, followed by eager licks and nibbles all over in an attempt at cleaning things up.

They were gone from the moment of the first lick, so much so that Kal and Lana quit trying to eat their food and concentrated on where they could smear it next. The fruits and the dish of clotted cream quickly became their favored toys for that. It didn't take long for them to become sweet, sticky messes from head to waist. Kal was just about to see what he could do with the last of the cream below Lana's waist, when she pulled him down onto her, kissed him thoroughly, and asked, "Before we get carried away, could you tell me why I'm sore right now?"

"Sore?" Kal asked, with a puzzled look on his face. "Where are you sore?"

Lana just tilted her head to one side and raised an eyebrow as if to say 'You've got to be kidding me.'

"Oh…OHHHH!" Kal smiled sheepishly and then propped himself up on his elbows. "I think it's likely because of how hard we went at it last night, especially right near the end. Since it was at night, you weren't receiving any solar energy, which is probably what allowed your body to become sore." He shrugged his shoulders and then gestured to the balcony doorway with his head. "I think a few seconds in full sunlight should stop the soreness."

Kal rolled off of Lana and made sure the tray was completely out of her way before hopping out of bed and retrieving her own robe and holding it open for her. She slid out of bed and into the robe, purring as he closed it about her and reached around her to tie the robe closed with its sash. His robe was still draped on the back of a dressing screen, but he didn't care. He kept his arms around Lana and carried her from the bedside over to the balcony door, with her giggling every step of the way.

Kal stayed inside as Lana strolled onto the balcony, and a minute or so in the sun was all she needed to feel perfectly fine. Kal, of course, took the chance to be naughty, telling her it would only have taken a few _seconds_ if she had opened the robe while on the balcony to maximize her skin/sunlight contact. Lana just rolled her eyes at that comment and walked back inside. He closed the door behind her, and she dropped her robe to the floor.

Before last night, Lana had been self-conscious about her body, but Kal's reaction, both up in the clouds and then in bed, had changed that. She was used to her chambermaids seeing her naked as they washed her, and now she_ wanted_ to show off for him.

Kal pulled Lana into his arms and nuzzled the wild tangle that was her hair. "Not sore anymore?"

She pressed the side of her face against his chest, and smiled contentedly. "Nope. Not even a bit."

Kal grinned, and reached down just enough to give her buns a quick but firm grope. "So, wanna get back in bed, Mrs. El? Your husband's thinking he wants to have his way with you."

"I'd love to," Lana purred. "My husband's not the only one having…'thoughts.'" Then she regretfully pushed herself away from just a bit. "But I'm feeling really icky at the moment. Would it be possible for us to have nice, hot baths?"

"Of course. Anything you want." Kal leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. "And while we're getting scrubbed clean, the chambermaids can clean up in here." He looked at Lana's messy bed and then at the gorgeous form of his naked wife. "Of course, we're just going to mess everything up again anyway."

"True," Lana giggled, "and hopefully before lunch."

True to their words, Kal and Lana took standing baths. They were in separate rooms for the baths, since he had no intention of allowing his manservants to see her naked, while she wouldn't let any of her chambermaids see _him_ naked. Having to bathe separately irritated Kal a lot, causing him to march downstairs after the bath and order his steward to have a bathtub constructed large enough for himself and his lady wife to use together, and do so while _sitting down. _

_And once that tub is built, there will be no more servants doing the damn washing, _Kal-El thought._ Lana and I can enjoy a long, hot peaceful soak that way._

Once that was out of the way, Kal and Lana realized it was getting to be a little too late in the day for more marital fun…before lunch anyway. They work in one more real pleasure in their morning though, as Kal ruthlessly took the job of brushing out Lana's freshly clean, but still seriously tangled hair from her maids.

"Do you remember the last time I did your hair?" Kal asked.

"Of course I do," Lana smiled. "It's one of my most treasured memories. It was the day before I received my knighthood back in the winter palace. You took it upon yourself to braid my hair right before the ritual bath and my all-night vigil. It was such a sweet thing to do."

Kal stayed quiet for a moment as he concentrated on working a couple of knots out of her thick mane of hair. "I just wanted to do _something_ for you, Lana. I just wanted so desperately to be a part of your knighting ceremony in some small way."

"Well, you were, and I loved it."

Once they were dressed, they headed downstairs for lunch. The reason lunch was downstairs was the same reason lunch had interfered with any additional sex for them this morning: Clark and Lana had only one official duty during their first week of married life, and that was an informal welcoming lunch with the entire palace staff. The meal was served buffet style so that everyone in the palace could sit down and eat together once the food was in place.

Part of the reason for the meal was to let everyone see the duke and his new duchess in a relaxed setting before they all had to adjust to the faster-paced life that would be happening now that there was a duke and duchess in residence. The main reason for the meal, however, was that they had decided weeks ago that she needed to establish that she was going to be the one in charge of the way things ran in the palace. To that end, Lana had a short speech prepared which she planned on giving right after the meal.

So, as it became more and more apparent that everyone had eaten their fill, Kal stood and used an amplification spell to make sure each and every servant could hear him. Lana cast her own amplification spell in preparation for her speech.

Kal stood, and said, "Thank you one and all for being here to share this delicious meal with us, and now that the meal is complete, I'd like for everyone to be introduced to my love, my wife, the Duchess of Borussia, Lady Lana El."

Lana stood and waved, while the servants clapped politely while craning their necks to get a better look at the their new duchess. After a brief discussion, Kal and Lana had decided that she would project a stronger image if she didn't have him standing behind her while she worked to establish her control, so once Lana stood, Kal left and headed back to his rooms.

The moment the door clicked shut behind him, Lana faced the servants, and launched into her brief prepared remarks. "Hello, everyone, and thank you for that kind welcome.

"As Kal-El's wife and the new Duchess of Borussia, I have a number of responsibilities, not the least of which is running the household and its staff. With the help of the Lord Chamberlain and his able assistants, the Head Housekeeper and the Head Chef, I intend to make sure everything runs the way it's supposed to, as the ducal palace enters this new era of greatly increased use.

"While we are about to become the social hub for the duchy, I won't be making any big changes until I, the chamberlain, and his assistants have had a chance to evaluate the current procedures and staff.

"Please remember, as the guests start arriving in the next few days for the duchy's own celebration of our marriage, that everything you do reflects upon the Duchy of Borussia, the duke himself, and upon yourselves. Keep that in mind, and I'm sure that we will make a great impression upon my husband and our guests. Thank you."

Kal had listened to Lana's speech with his super hearing while walking back to his rooms, and by the time she had reached the entrance to their rooms, he was already undressed and back in his bed, as the household staff had yet to make repairs to Lana's bed. She turned left into his suite, and as soon as she reached his bedroom, she was a blur of arms and legs as she speed stripped and launched herself into his arms.

"No more official business?" Lana asked, as she smothered Kal with kisses.

"Nothing more that requires clothes anyway." He raised an eyebrow at her once she pulled back a bit.

"Oh?"

"Mmhmmm. From what I've been told, you and me in bed doing what we're about to do sort of qualifies as 'official business.'" Kal laughed and snorted as he said it, which made Lana giggle along with him.

"In that case, I'm going to be giving you 'the business' for a _very…long…time."_

The young lovers did manage to work in a late afternoon horse ride around a small part of their huge estate, followed by a private dinner in Kal's quarters. Then they snuggled together in front of a low fire and took the time to reflect upon their wedding and their first day together as husband and wife.

As they neared the end of their reflections, Kal said, "I wonder how long it took our families last night to discover we'd given them the slip."

She leaned her head back against him, and murmured, "I don't know, but I _do _know just how much I enjoyed last night without them being anywhere near us."

"I know. I was nervous enough about trying to please you without having to deal with that sort of distraction."

Lana twisted in Kal's arms and tilted her head to look up at him. "Wait…you mean to say that _you_ were worried? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Why? It just would've taken your focus off of what we were doing. My worries might have made you so anxious to be pleased, that actually _being _pleased would have been more difficult."

"But…"

"I know you, My Love," Kal leaned down and brushed Lana's forehead with his lips. "You're so caring, so loving, so _giving, _that you would have worried about my worries."

"I'm giving, huh?"

"Yeah, you definitely are."

Lana pulled Kal's face down to her level for a heated kiss. "How about we go back to that sturdy bed of yours and see how much I can give to you tonight?"

He didn't say a word, and instead chose to scoop her off his lap and into his arms before walking them to his bedroom. Lana didn't wait to get to the bed to start the kissing, which in turn made Kal's straight walk into more of a drunken back-and-forth weave. But they got there, and then fell onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs, each of them eager to show their passion and explore their love, this day, and every day hereafter.

Author's Note: This is the song I'm thinking about as this story ends. It's really been the theme song of the entire fic. It's been in my mind from almost the very beginning.

.com/watch?v=erAo4zjV5h8&feature=related

So there it is, the story of how a filthy squire and a grubby stable girl came to meet, fall in love, become the talk of the kingdom, and marry, against all odds.

The End


End file.
